


Stop the wedding!

by Mindlessspn



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Adventure, Bottom Dean, Coincidences, Confrontations, Cynical, F/M, Falling In Love, Fate & Destiny, Flirting, Graduation, Happy Ending, Humor, Injury, Interviews, Jealousy, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Psychic Abilities, Road Trips, Romantic Comedy, Self-Discovery, Slow Build, Strangers, Top Castiel, Wedding countdown, Weddings, detective!dean, lots of cameos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-08-28 21:35:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 39,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8463772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mindlessspn/pseuds/Mindlessspn
Summary: Castiel Novak works Technical Support after graduating from his prestigious college.He falls into a rut day in and day out until he discovers that his college sweetheart is getting married.Determined to put a stop to the wedding, he goes on a road trip to Los Angeles, California.But who is this green eyed Kansas man going on and on about destiny and why does he let him into his car?





	1. Chapter 1

Castiel Novak sat at his kitchen table with his regular cup of black coffee and his dry toast. Just the way he liked it. He spent every morning reading the daily newspaper and scoffing at what they called 'news'.

He wiped the sleep from his eyes for what felt like the millionth time before flipping to the engagement announcements on page seven. He was twenty seven now and not getting any younger so naturally, most of his previous classmates would appear in this section of the local paper looking as happy as can be. It was sickening.

He chuckled to himself when he noticed a girl he once failed to hook up with when he was going through his embarrassing existential crisis during his freshman year of college. She was now marrying some wealthy businessman. 'Nice,' he thought to himself before taking another sip of coffee and scanning the next page quickly.

Black coffee sprayed out of his mouth, landing perfectly on the photo that shocked him so much. He grabbed the papers edges hard causing it to crinkle harshly under his tight grip. He reread the words silently to himself to make sure he wasn't missing anything.

Yep. This was real. "Balthazar Roché, linguistics professor, and Michael Shirley, son of billionaire Chuck Shirley, announced their engagement Friday evening. The couple plans to have a quick wedding already booking their venue in Los Angeles, California for May 2nd," he read out loud. Double checking every single detail of the text.

May 2nd. That was a week from today. What was with the sudden rush? And California of all places?

But wait. Cas and Balthazar barely called it quits less than three months ago! Was he really that easy to forget? He groaned to himself and let the newspaper drop to the ground while he slumped in his chair. This cannot be happening.

XXX

"Good morning, Castiel," the sweet familiar voice of a close friend rang out as soon as he entered his workplace.

He smiled and greeted his red headed friend with a hug. "Good morning, Charlie."

"What's with the sour puss look? Not looking forward to another long day of tech support?," she smiled back at him.

"Hell no," he commented back before walking to the break room for another cup of coffee before clocking in with Charlie still at his heels.

"Hmm. Something tells me there's something more to that little frown of yours," she persisted on.

Cas rolled his eyes and poured another cup of black coffee into the tiny Styrofoam cup. He waved her off. "It's nothing," he mumbled before taking a sip of the warm liquid.

Charlie crossed her arms defiantly over her chest and eyed him up and down in a way that was just so her. She opened her mouth to say something more but was cut off by their boss entering the room.

"Mr. Novak. Ms. Bradbury, please tell me why it is nine a.m. and you two are still in here lollygagging and not answering phones," Crowley growled in his unpleasant accent.

Charlie snapped her mouth shut and bowed awkwardly at the short balding man before practically running out of the room. He turned his attention to Castiel and eyed him suspiciously as Cas took yet another sip of coffee. He was going to need a lot of this if he was going to make it through today.

"Your survey scores are low," he said finally when he realized Cas wouldn't scurry away like a frightened animal.

"What?," Cas asked and glowered down at him.

"Your survey scores from customers are dangerously low, Mr. Novak. Now, it seems to me that you are just not a people person so either you fix that problem or you walk away," his boss challenged.

Cas gripped his coffee cup a little tighter and wished so desperately that it was his boss' head underneath his grip. He debated internally on whether he should say something smart to Crowley and get written up again or play nice and go about with his shitty day.

Crowley raised an eyebrow obviously expecting the first option to happen but was taken back when Cas smiled tightly at him. "Of course, sir. I'll fix that right away."

Crowley chuckled. "Your damn right you will," he replied before winking and sauntering out of the room.

Cas tightened his hold on the cup even more and didn't even flinch when his fingers ended up puncturing holes into the weak cup. The coffee had cooled considerably and trickled down his hand.

He dropped the broken cup in the trash can and washed his hands. Damn. This was absolutely not how his post college years were supposed to turn into. He was supposed to be with Balthazar forever and become an accountant somewhere far away. That was always the plan.

The plan was never to answer fucking phones for a living. But plans and people change and there's nothing you can do to get them back. He hated his life.

XXX

"Have you tried turning it on and off again?," he asked the dim customer as he rolled his eyes.

The lady began mumbling about how she would get right on it. Cas placed himself on mute and turned to Charlie who was hovering over him.

"Ready for lunch?," she asked enthusiastically as if she didn't have a care in the world. He envied her.

He held up a finger to her and placed himself back off of mute as the lady cheered into the phone about how her device works now. He pursed his lips and nodded to himself even though she couldn't see him.

"That's great. You have a good day now. Okay. Buh bye," he hung up the call and placed his call status for away.

He groaned dramatically and stood up from his chair. Charlie giggled and ran a hand down his back as they walked back to the break room.

Cas pulled out the rickety chair at his and Charlie's usual table. He slumped down and began to pick at his boring bologna sandwich that he brought every single day. When did he get in this slump?

Or is he just now realizing it because of how his ex's life is now going? He frowned as his self depreciating thought dragged him into an even bitter mood.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong now?," Charlie asked pulling him out of his thoughts.

"What are you talking about? Nothings wrong," he said quickly.

Charlie raised her eyebrow and gave him a knowing look telling him that she knew better than what he was saying right now. Damn. She always knew.

He sighed and dropped his sandwich onto the table. "Fine." He rolled his eyes when she flashed him her 'I knew I could break you' smile.

"It's just… do you remember me telling you about Balthazar?," he asked nervously while looking around just in case any prying ears were around to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"The guy that dumped you after dating for three years? Of course I remember that asshole," she replied with disdain.

Cas nodded and ignored the stab in his chest he felt at the reminder of him and his ex.

"Well, turns out he's getting married. Next week," he continued on hoping Charlie would pick up on where he was going with this.

"What the fuck?," she nearly cried out.

Cas laughed but hushed her so they wouldn't get in trouble by Crowley for vulgar language. Again.

Charlie shook her head and furrowed her brow. "Oh hell no! He can't do that to you, Castiel. He can't!," she yelled getting angrier and angrier.

Cas shrugged. "It's his life," he said as if this whole situation didn't bother him even a little bit.

"No fucking way in Hell is he doing that to you. You guys just broke up!," she continued yelling causing a few glances at us from coworkers.

"What do you want me to do, Charlie? Go to Los Angeles to stop the wedding? Don't be ridiculous," he scoffed at her.

Charlie's face dropped before she began smiling deviously at Cas. She raised an eyebrow as the idea flowed silently through both of them.

Cas shook his head quickly. "Oh, no. No. No. No. Are you out of your mind? Now there's no way I'm doing that, Charlie!"

She nodded up and down quickly and animatedly. "Yes, Castiel! You are. It's exactly what you're going to do and you know why?"

Cas frowned. "I don't want to know why but I have a feeling that you're going to tell me anyways."

She grinned. "You're doing this because Balthazar is the love of your life and if there's one thing I learned in life, its to always fight for what you love! Now Castiel Novak, go get him back."

Cas chewed his bottom lip in between his top and bottom teeth. Could he really do this? He wasn't usually one to go out of his way and actually quite liked the routine of his predictable life.

But on the other hand, she did have a point. Balthazar promised him forever and he'd be damned if he didn't live up to that promise.

"Novak! My office! Now!," Crowley's voice boomed across the room.

He could feel all the eyes on him as he and Charlie exchanged worried glance with one another. He stood up slowly and made his way to Crowley's office.

He poked his head in where his boss sat at a large brown oak desk with no personal photos on it. "Sit down," he instructed waving his hand in the direction of the small chair across from his desk.

Cas did as he was told with no arguments and ran his hands down his legs nervously. "Is something wrong, sir?," he asked quietly.

"I thought we already had this discussion this morning," he replied back calmly. Shit. Calm is not good. Its definitely not good.

"I'm sorry?," he asked hoping for a clearer response.

"Your bloody survey scores! They're terrible! You know what, maybe customer service just isn't for you," his boss said irritated.

Cas clenched his fists at his side. No way was he getting fired on top of the day he's already been having. He stood up and glared daggers at Crowley.

"Well, you know what? That is perfectly fine with me! Because I quit!," he shouted feeling more free than he has in a very long time.

Crowley's face fell. "You can't quit! I just fired you!"

Cas shook his head. "No you didn't. I quit before you could say those words so technically I quit. Oh, and I'm doing as you said and walking away."

He grinned like a madman and walked proudly out of his office with Crowley right behind him. "What are you going to do with your life, Castiel?," he yelled after him causing a few curious glances in their direction.

"I'm going to get the guy."


	2. The stranger

He was ready to go. He was going to get in his car and drive to Los Angeles. Sure it was going to take him twenty eight hours of non stop driving from Pontiac, Illinois to L.A but who was counting? This was for love.

Cas arrived back home to his decent sized two bedroom and one story house. And yes, the shutters around his windows were falling apart and barely hanging on their hinges but he thought it just gave them character which he loved.

He ran inside and began to pack up a decent amount of clothes into his black duffle bag that he kept under his dresser. He made sure to grab about five t shirts, three pairs of jeans, two nice dress shirts, a pair of slacks, a couple of ties (just in case) and his beloved trench coat that used to belong to his father.

He zipped up the bag quickly and threw it over his shoulder before taking one last look around his home. Who knows, maybe next time he walks through that door, the love of his life will be on his arm.

He walked out the front door, locking it up and running back to his car where he shoved the duffle bag in the back of his Prius. Jumping back into the front seat, he quickly reversed and sped off down the road leaving behind a large dust cloud. Now, just one last stop to make.

XXX

"Nine thousand dollars?," the bank teller repeated incredulously.

Castiel nodded and tapped his fingers quickly on the counter. "Yes. Just withdraw my entire savings account," he replied impatiently.

"Are you sure?," the short haired brunette asked him.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes at that. Of course he was. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life," he said with a small smile.

The woman smiled back at him and turned to make the withdraw. He checked the time again. It was only three p.m. which meant that he could at least get into the next state before he had to stop to rest.

He tapped his foot on the marble floor. He was aware of how crazy he must look right now but love makes you do crazy things.

The woman appeared back at the counter with three envelopes stuffed with cash. He smiled again and thanked her before walking quickly out of the bank and back into his car. He shoved the envelopes into the glove department and pulled up his GPS. He was all set to start his adventure.

He was about four hours into the drive and apparently in St. Louis, Missouri. Well, finally out of Illinois. Charlie's name popped up on his screen where his directions just were showing she was calling him.

He smiled to himself and pressed the green button on the touch screen to answer. "Hello Charlie," he answered.

"Castiel! What the fuck happened? Where are you?," she yelled at him. Her shrill voice echoed through the speakers.

He bit his lip. What was he doing? Did he really just quit his fucking job to go to his ex's wedding? Oh God, this was a mistake.

"I don't know what I'm doing!," he admitted freaking out a bit.

"Where are you?," she repeated her question.

"I'm in St. Louis," he groaned. He should just turn back around and beg Crowley for his job back. He couldn't do this.

"Missouri?," she asked with shock.

"No. The restaurant St. Louis," he said sarcastically. "Of course I'm in Missouri!"

"Geez. Are you really going to Los Angeles?," she asked excitedly.

"Yes. No. I mean I don't know. What do you think? This is a bad idea isn't it?," he asked suddenly unsure of this entire crooked plan.

"I think it's the best thing you've done in years," she answered confidently.

"You do?"

"Absolutely. Now, stop doubting yourself. And call me when you get to California!," she demanded.

Cas laughed and nodded while pulling into a small motel. "I will. Bye, Charlie."

"Bye, Cas. And good luck!," she cheered. That was one of his favorite things about his best friend. Her undying enthusiasm was admirable.

He pressed the end button and put his car into park. He got out and stretched his back and legs out. He had no idea how he was going to make it in his cramped up car for another twenty fours. He threw his duffle bag over his shoulder and grabbed a few bills out of the envelope before locking up his glove box.

The door to the office jingled as he walked through. A petite woman with dark hair came out of the room from behind the desk and smiles brightly at him.

"Well hello, handsome. To what do I owe this pleasure?," she said cheekily while looking him up and down.

Cas smiled tightly at her and saw her nametag read 'Pamela.' "I need a room."

She typed quickly into the computer on the desk then looked around the room and behind Cas. He turned around to see what she was looking for but didn't see anyone in the room.

"Just you?," she asked with a fast lick of her lips.

"Just me," he confirmed.

She giggled flirtatiously and handed him his room key. Cas took it from her hand but didn't miss the way her fingers brushed over his hand.

He dropped a couple of bills onto the desk and smiled again at the middle aged woman before walking back out the door. That was weird. He shook his head and looked for room six.

Cas found it quickly and made his way inside the small room that held a large king sized bed that took up most of the room. He sighed and placed his bag on the floor and turned on the light.

The light flickered for a moment before coming on all the way. "I wanted adventure and I guess I got it," he laughed to himself. Just this morning he was having his regular cup of coffee and about to go to his regular job.

Now, he was in a hotel room in St. Luis. He couldn't help but laugh about how crazy he was being. But who knows, maybe this was meant to be.

Twenty minutes later, he stepped out of the bathroom after a much needed shower. He looked at the bedside clock noticing that it was already nine p.m. and he wanted to be back on the road by six a.m.

He pulled on his sweatpants and ditched the underwear for tonight and sat down onto the stiff bed. Leaning back, he pulled out his journal that he had been writing in for years.

The pages were all crinkled and old but he could at least get in another ten entries before it was done for. He pulled out the pen that was tucked safely in the metal spiral that held the pages together.

'Today, I decided to change my life. I was tired of the boring routine I had and felt something was missing in my life. And isn't that just the worst? When you're surrounded by so many people but can't help but feel terribly lonely. But also I can't explain this gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach screaming at me to change the direction of my life. I don't know what it means but for now I'm enjoying the ride.'

He scribbled his entry quickly and smiled when he was satisfied with what he wrote. Cas tucked the pen back away and closed his journal before tossing it onto his bag.

He settled under the comforter and reached over to switch the lamp off. The last thing on his mind being the long drive ahead of him.

-Six days until the wedding-

Cas tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and sang along to the radio. And so what if he was blasting Britney Spears with the windows down? He didn't have a care in the world right now.

He was about another four hours into the drive and in a town called Lawrence, Kansas. Or at least that's what the sign said that he passed a few miles back. His car beeped pulling him out of his sing a long.

He looked down at the dash and realized his car was nearing on empty. Cas sighed but took an exit before pulling into a Gas N' Sip. Well he was kind of hungry now that he thinks of it.

Cas parked his car next to the gas tank and got out. He stretched his body out again and sighed. Just another twenty hours to go. Damn. He definitely should've brought Charlie along.

He walked with a skip in his step into the gas station and walked around to find something to snack on. Hmm. Maybe some chips and an Icee?

"What the hell is wrong with you people?!," an angry gruff voice shouted.

Cas's head shot up to look at the direction where the shouts were coming from. A tall man stood in front of the counter. He wore a plain black t shirt, a pair of fitted jeans that shaped his body nicely and some boots. But he was definitely not checking him out.

Cas inched closer to the commotion and pricked up his ear curiously as he eavesdropped on the heated conversation.

"I'm sorry, sir. Its company policy. We can't let you use our phone," the blonde woman behind the counter said apologetically to the irate man.

"You know what? Just forget it. But don't you guys know pay phones don't exist anymore?," he yelled his rhetoric questions at her before storming out of the store.

Cas clutched his potato chips to his chest while staring out the large glass window. The man was shockingly gorgeous now that he could see his face clearly. He kicked a trash can and stepped over it before walking over to a classic black car that Cas couldn't tell what kind it was.

The man leaned on the hood before putting his face in his hands. Cas couldn't help but wonder why he was so upset. He looked up suddenly and Cas let out a soft gasp.

How was it possible that he could tell the color of his eyes from across the parking lot? The man stared intensely at him with his striking green eyes.

"Sir?," a disembodied voice came from in front of him.

He ripped his eyes away from the man and turned to whoever was talking to him. It was the woman the handsome stranger was just yelling at.

"I'm sorry?," he asked.

"Uh, you're in line?," she asked back and pointed at the line forming behind him. When did that happen?

"Oh. Of course. I'm sorry," he realized and placed his chips on the counter while informing her to fill up his car.

He walked out of the store with his chips still in hand. The man was still sitting on his car but was no longer looking at Cas.

Cas debated in his head whether he should go up to him or not. No. He didn't do things like that. He never spoke to strangers and he's in a place he's never been before. He just needed to stick to the task at hand and get his ass to California.

He pumped his gas while stealing glances across the parking lot. The man was running a hand down his face and looked stressed out. He felt bad for him.

And what was it that he was yelling about? Using a phone? Well, he could do that. It was the very least he could do. But on the other hand, he did need to get back on the road. He debated with himself internally and chewed on his lip.

He looked back up and saw that the man was now staring at him again. This odd feeling of shivers shot through his spine and there was this large sense that went through him. It was comparable to a gravity pull.

Before he could think about it anymore, his legs were already moving in the direction of the stranger who was looking him up and down. But this wasn't the way Pamela looked at him, this was different. It was as if he could see right through him and it made him feel bare and vulnerable.

"Uh, hi. I overheard you say that you needed to use a phone and I just couldn't leave without making sure you were taken care of," Cas spat out quickly under the mans curious gaze.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Are you serious?"

Cas nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, of course." He pulled out his iPhone from his pocket and unlocked it before placing it into his open hand.

"Oh. Uh, thanks man," he said obviously still surprised.

Cas smiled as the man turned around and put the phone up to his ear. "Hey, Sammy. Yeah, that's the thing I can't make it… My car broke down and I had to push it to the gas station!...Hell no. I'm not taking a plane. People were never meant to fly!.. Yeah. I know. I'm sorry. Say hi to mom to me," he said into the phone before hanging up and handing it back to Cas.

"Is everything alright?," Cas asked.

The man nodded before changing his mind quickly and shaking his head. "Not really. My fucking car broke down and I was on my way to California to go see my little brother graduate college. And then I dropped my phone on the walk over here so that's shattered. Its just everything that can go wrong today can!," he rambled on in frustration.

Cas frowned and thought about what he was saying. Wait. Did he just say California?

"I'm sorry, man. I know you don't want to hear me vent about this shit but thanks for letting me use your phone," the man said.

Cas looked back up at him and realized he hadn't said anything. His mouth opened to say something but he was strangely distracted about the array of freckles that were scattered across his face. It was breathtaking.

"Are you okay?," he spoke again while waving a hand in front of Cas' face.

Cas recollected himself and nodded quickly. "Uh, yeah. I'm sorry. Did you say you were going to California?"

The freckled man raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Why?"

Cas scratched the back of his head. "Well, its nothing but I'm actually on my way to California, too."

"Oh, yeah?," he asked.

He nodded again. "Yeah so I guess I should get going," Cas said and pointed a thumb behind him at his Prius still at the gas pump.

The man purses his lips but nodded and Cas took that as a cue that it was time to go. He took a step back before the stranger's face lit up.

"Wait! This is fate! You're going to California. I'm going to California," he said excitedly as he gestured between the two of them with a smile. He raised his eyebrows waiting for Cas to catch on.

"Oh! Uh, you want to drive together?," Cas asked confused.

He nodded still smiling. "Yeah. Why not?"

"Because I don't know you?," Cas said without thinking.

"And isn't that what would make this fun?," the stranger asked with a coy smile.

Cas bit his lip and thought it over. On one hand, he would have this handsome stranger to keep him company but on the other he could end up dead in the trunk of his own car. But this trip was all about breaking out of his shell and going on an adventure. So, what's more adventurous then road tripping with a complete stranger?

"I'm in," he said suddenly.

The man smiled and clapped his hands together. "Awesome! Let me just get my bag. Dude, you have no idea how crazy this is. It's destiny!"

Cas smiled and shrugged while they walked over to Cas' car. "I don't know about 'destiny' but it should be fun," he said and unlocked his car.

The man threw his similar looking bag next to Cas's and slid into the passenger seat. "Oh, I can make you a believer of old lady Fate," he said confidently.

Cas laughed and got into the front seat before turning on his car. The speakers blasted with Britney Spears from where he last turned it off. He quickly shut the radio off and blushed furiously.

The man next to him laughed heartedly. "Oops I did it again?," he asked teasingly.

"Um. It was on a shuffle channel," he said embarrassed.

The man raised his hands with a smile. "No judging here."

Cas smiled back at him and took off back to the direction of the highway. "So, what is your name?"

The stranger smiled widely and placed his hands behind his head, leaning back into the seat. "Dean Winchester."


	3. Ride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a side note; I'm aware that Dean would NEVER sing along to Sia but this is just a different version of him :) let me know what you think of the story and come talk to me on Tumblr. 
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/reallifecas

"Well, its nice to meet you Dean," Cas said honestly cause it was. There was a part of him that was glad that he had this chance run in because now he wouldn't be so lonely.

"Dude, it's your turn now," Dean commented and pulled out a bag of beef jerky from his back pocket.

Cas gave him an odd look but said nothing. "My turn for what?," he asked not quite catching on.

Dean rolled his eyes but chuckled. "You know my name but I don't know yours."

Cas nodded at the observation. "Oh yeah. You don't know my name. Didn't your mom ever teach you not to get in the car with strangers?," he asked teasingly but also kind of serious.

Dean laughed again. "She did. But she didn't say anything about hot strangers," he said with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

Cas could feel his blush begin to rise up his neck again. He rubbed at it hoping that Dean would be none the wiser. If they way he watched his movements had anything to say about it then he definitely noticed the affect he had on him.

"Castiel," he said quietly.

"What?," Dean asked as a piece of beef jerky hung halfway out of his perfect mouth.

Cas sighed and frowned. "My name is Castiel. Go ahead and make fun of me now." He was used to it.

"Why would I do that?," he asked honestly.

Cas peeked a glance at him. "Because my name is weird," he replied like it made all the sense in the world.

"Oh, I've heard much stranger things. Trust me."

Cas smiled at him gratefully. Maybe he was just being nice about it. He cant imagine a weirder name than his.

They rode in compatible silence for a couple of minutes before Dean spoke again. "I like it," he announced.

"Like what?," Cas asked and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I like your name. But I think I'll call you Cas," he said before ripping off another half of the tough beef jerky.

"Well most people do," he replied and turned his attention back to the road.

"You know, I know someone named Lucifer," he continued on.

"Lucifer?," Cas asked with a laugh. Now, that was ridiculous.

He could see Dean nodding from his peripheral vision. "Swear to God," he said laughing along with Cas.

"Well, now I've heard it all."

Dean chuckled again and leaned further down into his seat. He began to mess with the buttons on the radio and smiled cheekily when Cas turned to him.

He skipped quickly through all the local stations before landing on a channel that he apparently liked. Dean threw his head back and sung along with the woman who was clearly screaming the song lyrics.

Cas laughed at his childishness and shook his head 'no' when Dean pulled on his arm so he could join in. "I don't even know this song!"

"Everyone knows Sia! Come on!," he yelled over the music.

Cas shrugged and smiled. "I'm gonna swing from the chandelierrrrr," he belted along to the woman and to Dean.

Dean laughed and brushed his hand against Cas' shoulder before squeezing slightly and letting go. Cas thought about how he wanted his touch to linger a bit more.

They finished the song together and were nearly in ears at the end of it. Dean wiped his eye and smiled. "I like you."

Cas smiled then frowned. He needed to remind himself why he was going to California in the first place. For Balthazar. The love of his life.

Dean didn't seem to notice his mood shift and focused only on fiddling with the radio. He switched between rock, pop and classics all within an hour.

"Where are we?," he asked suddenly.

Cas messed with his touch screen and pulled up his GPS showing that they were now in Wichita, Kansas. "Shouldn't you know?"

Dean shrugged and waved him off. "Eh, I've never really paid attention to all that."

"To your surroundings?," Cas bantered with him.

Dean smirked and nodded. "Alert the authorities," he said with each word dripping in sarcasm.

"Well, its only one p.m. and we still need to get through Colorado, Utah and Nevada before we reach California," Cas stated.

"Cool. Guess I'll just catch up on some sleep then," he replied already leaning the seat back as far as it could go and rolling slightly onto his side sway from Cas.

"I think I may have a blanket in the backseat," he said a little too late. He could hear Deans soft snores already taken over the small car.

He chuckled to himself and continued to drive down the open highway that was so welcoming and free.

XXX

"Well, good morning, sleepy head," Cas commented as he sat back down into the front seat and closed his door.

Dean sat up more in the seat and wiped his eyes sleepily. "Huh? Where are we?," he mumbled.

"About a couple of hours outside of Denver," Cas answered before pulling out of another gas station and getting back onto the highway.

"It's dark outside," he commented and adjusted his seat to sit up right. Cas noticed how he rubbed the soft blanket, he had placed on him a few hours ago, with a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Thank you for the observation, Bill Nye," Cas replied with his own smirk that could give Deans a run for his money.

"How long have I been out?," he asked ignoring Cas' sarcastic comment.

"Well, you fell asleep at one and now its seven thirty so about six and a half hours."

"What the fuck! I can't even get four hours of sleep on a good night," Dean cried out in shock.

"Must be my soothing presence," Cas said with a wink.

Dean rubbed his chin while side eyeing Cas. "Yeah. Maybe," he agreed.

"Are you hungry?," Cas asked while exiting the highway once again.

Dean nodded as his stomach growled simultaneously agreeing with him. Cas smiled softly and pulled into the parking lot of a small diner. He was glad that he decided to take the chance on this stranger.

They both got out and Dean groaned loudly as he raised his arms above his head. Cas watched as his shirt rode up little by little until the skin directly below his belly button was exposed. He licked his lips subconsciously until he caught Deans eye.

He winked at him and dropped his arms before pulling his shirt back down into place. Cas coughed awkwardly and walked in front of Dean into the diner.

Ten minutes later, they sat across from each other in a corner booth with a plate of fries between them as they waited on their burgers. Dean took a handful and shoved them into his mouth greedily.

"Hungry?," Cas asked with a small smile.

Dean continued chewing and nodded. "Fuck yes," he said before taking a gulp of the beer he ordered.

Cas chuckled and picked at the fry. They ate in silence for a few minutes before the waitress brought over their orders. Cas didn't miss the way her hand lingered on Deans shoulder or the way she swayed her hips as she walked away.

Dean didn't seem to pick up on what she was doing but he couldn't help but feel an odd sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "So what are you going to California for?," Dean asked suddenly in between bites of his burger.

"Hm?," Cas hummed. He had been too busy trying to figure out why he just experienced a surge of jealousy.

"I asked why are you going to California," Dean repeated as he gave Cas a weird look.

"Oh. Uh, its kind of personal," he answered. Well it was the half truth anyways.

"Personal?," Dean asked suddenly more interested now. He leaned forward on his elbows and smirked.

Cas nodded and swallowed down his food. "Yeah. It is," he confirmed. He was also hoping that Dean would stop with that and not ask anymore questions. It would be kind of weird to tell him about how he was really planning to go ruin his ex boyfriends wedding.

"And you're not going to tell me?," Dean asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

Cas shook his head and took a sip of his vanilla milkshake. Dean leaned back and sighed. Well, that was easy. It didn't seem like Dean was the type to give up.

And he wasn't. They walked closely together up to the register to pay the bill with Dean at his heel. "So, what is it? A funeral? Family reunion? Fresh start? A woman?," he guessed quickly as Cas paid the cashier.

Cas ignored him and headed for the exit. Dean followed him. "So it is a woman!," he said a little too loudly as if he cracked the code. Cas placed his hand on the door to push it but turned back to Dean with an unamused stare.

Dean smiled like he held all of the universes secrets. "Excuse me," the busty waitress appeared back at Deans side.

Dean turned his head to look at her. "Yes?," he asked but his tone made it seem like he was bored. It was not at all like the way he just sounded when he was talking to Cas and begging him for answers.

"I just wanted to let you know I get off at ten," she said as she handing him a slip of paper which no doubt had her phone number on it.

Dean shrugged her off. "I'm not interested," he replied and stepped over to Cas who was squinting at the two.

He placed his hand on the door and spun Cas around easily while pressing on his lower back so they could leave. They both ignored the waitress mutter about how Dean was an "asshole." And Cas felt a bit joyed at the fact that he didn't want to sleep with this woman.

But he shouldn't feel like that because he doesn't know this man and he is en route to the love of his life. Dean was simply a road trip acquaintance. Nothing more.

Dean balled up the piece of paper and tossed it carelessly to the ground before he slid into the passenger seat. Cas furrowed his brow and got into the car also.

He wanted to ask Dean what that was all about but he also didn't want to seem nosy or interested in any way. Instead, he decided to keep quiet and drive.

"How about this? I tell you something personal about me and you have to tell me what the big secret in California is all about," Dean attempted to compromise with him.

Cas thought it over and realized he had nothing to lose because in another day or two Dean will be just another face in the crowd. This road trip would be over pretty soon so why not and he had to admit he was pretty curious about him.

"Okay. You've got a deal."


	4. First accident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I just realized I've been updating this story every day but now I'm not so sure if I should continue with it. It doesnt seem like many people are reading it.

Dean sat quietly as he rubbed the stubble along his jaw to his chin. Cas kept stealing side glances at him the longer he stayed silent.

"So how bad is it?," Cas asked.

"Depends on what you call bad. Because I call it sexy," he said with a coy wink.

Cas chuckled loudly. "Your personal secret is… sexy?," he asked confused with another loud laugh. It was mixed with nervousness of the next words that would come out of Deans mouth.

"Now I've got you interested," Dean said while smirking.

"Um, I might be," he replied. When did it get so hot in this damn car? Maybe he should roll the windows down.

"Alright. Alright. Promise me you won't laugh."

Cas nodded. That was a reasonable enough request of him. "Okay. I won't."

"Pinky swear?," Dean asked and held his pinky up in an offer for Cas to take it an twist it with his own. It was childish in the sense but Dean was smiling so shyly that it made Cas' heart skip a beat.

He shook his head feigning exasperation but held his pinky out. "I pinky swear." They twisted their fingers together and so what if they might've lingered a few seconds longer than what was necessary.

Cas pulled his pinky away and places his hand back on the steering wheel. They passed a sign informing them that Denver was still a little over two hundred miles away and it was already nearing eight p.m.

"I wear pink panties and…I like it," Dean confessed in a wavering voice.

Cas took his eyes of the road and widened them at Dean who was avoiding eye contact. He played with his fingers in his lap probably hoping that Cas would say something.

Panties? His mind immediately drifted to Dean in a pair of pink panties. He had so many questions that would surely go unanswered. Like were they silk? Cotton maybe? His mind raced as dozens of naughty images of Dean flashed before him.

He could feel the reaction from just the thought of him like that in his pants. A blush quickly spread across his cheeks and he thanked the Universe that it was dark in the car.

"Wanna tell me what you're thinking?," Dean asked after the atmosphere shifted into something else Cas couldn't put his finger on. Yet.

"Uh, I'm not thinking of much. But that is quite a personal thing to tell me considering I'm a stranger. I'm not judging though," he replied. He didn't want to admit what he was really thinking about.

"Oh. Okay," Dean said with a mixture of disappointment and relief in his voice.

The miles stretched on with no other questions or kinky confessions. Cas was a little glad but wanted to hear Dean talk some more. He enjoyed hearing him talk while he drove even if it was just about how tall the mountains were or how Cas' taste in music sucked ass. He was really getting used to his company and it's only been twelve hours since they met.

"They were satiny. Just in case you were wondering," Dean said as he shifted in his seat.

Cas nodded once and swallowed nervously. "Oh. Um, that's nice to know," he said awkwardly. Dammit. Why did he always have to be so uncomfortable to be around?

"Are you going to tell me why you're going to California?," Dean asked.

Cas began to shake his head 'no' but stopped when Dean looked betrayed. His bottom stuck out further than usual and his eyes portrayed all the emotions he was feeling at the moment. Pinky swears must be important for him like a binding contract.

"A deals a deal," he said in defeat and smiled softly when Deans face lit up a bit.

"You're going to think I'm crazy," he warned him.

Dean shrugged. "Dude, we are on a twenty hour road trip together and we met this morning. No ones more crazy than the other."

Cas gnawed on his lip but nodded in agreement. That was true. He sighed and ran a hand through his frazzled hair. "I'm going to Los Angeles to stop my ex's wedding."

Deans mouth dropped in shock but that was the least he expected. He really thought he would tease him mercilessly or call him insane.

"Why? Did she tell you to?," Dean asked intensely.

Cas coughed awkwardly. "Uh. He," he corrected Dean.

Dean raised an impressed brow at him. "Wow. He?"

Cas nodded. "Yeah. I'm, uh, gay," he admitted. Why did he feel so odd as if he was coming out of the closet for the first time? It's been six years since he's done that.

"Ah well no judgement here, man. I'm bi so don't feel weird," he replied easily.

Cas calmed down and relaxed back into his seat. That went better than expected. "So, why exactly are you stopping his wedding? And does he know?"

He shook his head slowly. Should he have told Balthazar instead of just going rogue on this whole thing? Oh God. What Dean must think right now.

"He doesn't know. Should he know?," Cas asked Dean suddenly feeling insecure and unsure for the millionth time.

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. Is this supposed to be romantic or something? Why didn't you just take a plane?"

"The weddings in six days so I thought I'd get there with a few days to spare and think more about my plan and how to win him back," Cas explained. Wow. His plan really did sound crazy now that he voiced it.

Dean slouched down lower in his seat. "Oh," he said with no further comments.

"That's it?," Cas asked feeling a bit confused. He thought Dean would let his opinions on hi situation be known.

"I told you I only wanted to know what the big secret was. Now we can move on," he answered him.

Cas nodded and looked down at the clock on the screen. When did it become ten p.m.? They really needed to stop soon.

"Well, we're not in Denver yet like I wanted to be but I think I'm going to go ahead and stop at a motel for the night," Cas informed Dean before putting on his blinker to take the next exit and pull over into the first motel he can find.

"A motel?," Dean asked puzzled.

"Yeah. Why? Is that a problem?," Cas questioned as he squinted at him. He couldn't tell what Deans face looked like in the darkness of the car despite the street lights that occasionally lit up the car.

"Uh, no. I just figured we would take turns driving and get there by tomorrow night. It makes sense," he explained.

Cas laughed as he searched the streets and signs for the nearest motel. "Yeah. Um, no offense but I really don't know you. We could be in New York by the time I wake up."

Dean brought his hand up to his chest. "Well well well. And here I was thinking you trusted me," he said in a sarcastic hurt tone.

Cas giggled. "Trust? You're talking to the wrong one. I don't trust any one."

"Come on, Cas. You have to trust someone," Dean attempted to reason with him.

Cas chewed on the inside of his lip and thought quickly about the people who betrayed his trust over the years. "Well, maybe I trust Balthazar," he thought out loud.

"Who's Balthazar?," Dean questioned sounding more awake than ever.

Cas rolled his eyes. "My ex," he said in a clipped tone.

"You mean the one that's marrying someone else?," Dean asked trying to understand why on Earth Cas would still trust the guy.

"Yes."

"Now why the hell do you trust him but you don't trust me? Why did you guys break up anyways if he's the 'love of your life'?," he asked complete with air quotes.

"Not really any of your business," he answered not bothering to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

A sliver of light cascaded over Deans face. His lips were pursed in a tight frown and his arms were crossed over his chest. "Fair enough. So why would you get a motel with me if you don't trust me so much? You could easily wake up in a bathtub full of ice."

Cas shrugged and half smiled. "That's the fun in all of this. I'm doing something now that I never thought I would be doing in a million years and that's taking a risk. I'm so used to playing it safe that it feels amazingly liberating to be selfish for once."

He spotted a sign giving directions to a bed and breakfast about three miles away. That will have to do for tonight He was exhausted.

"So you would say you all of a sudden felt like you were meant to do so much more with your life? So much more in fact that you completely dropped everything to go on such a spontaneous road trip? It's called destiny and she knows what she's doing."

His hands tightened around the steering wheel. How in the hell did he know that? "I wouldn't call it spontaneous," he muttered quietly and made a right down a long, dark road.

"Really?," Dean asked with wide smile.

"Really."

"Huh. Well, your bag says something different. It's clear that you packed in such a quick manner and not to mention the thousands of dollars in the glove department," he pointed out in such a cool tone.

Cas' eyes widened as he slammed on his brakes in the middle of nowhere. The tires screeched loudly and the sudden stop threw both of their bodies forward harshly. "Ah, dude. What the fuck?," Dean asked as he rubbed his elbow where he hit it on the dashboard.

"How the fuck do you know all of this?!," Cas screamed. He could feel himself begin to freak out.

Dean flinched slightly. "It's not that hard to figure out. Guess I should've told you that I'm a detective."

Cas could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He was sure it was going to bust out at any moment now. He knew Dean was a stranger but to truly realize it was horrifying to say the least.

"You- You're a detective?," he wasn't sure if he was hearing this right or if he was still in Illinois having some kind of fucked up dream.

Dean nodded. "Yeah. I am." He continued to grimace and rub his elbow.

Cas' heartrate slowed down. He closed his eyes and calmed himself down. He looked at Dean who was squeezing his eyes shut with a pained look on his face. His hand was still wrapped around his elbow.

"I'm so sorry, Dean. Should I take you to the hospital?," Cas asked and reached his hand out to touch Deans shoulder. He felt terrible especially when Dean pulled away from his touch.

Dean gritted his teeth but nodded. "Ah, I have to. I think I shattered my elbow."

Cas felt his heart sink. He was a horrible person. He had been so busy being paranoid that he hurt Dean in the process. He made a U- turn and headed back down the road towards civilization.

XXX

"Well, Mr. Winchester, it looks like you experienced a direct blow to your Olecranon," a doctor confirmed as he set up Deans X Ray on the wall for them to see.

"Yeah, I figured," he replied and winced when the doctor pressed around his elbow.

"I'm going to set you up in a sling. Make sure you don't straighten it out or lift any heavy objects with that arm. It should be back to normal in a few weeks," the doctor said before writing down a few notes on a small notepad and slipping it into his white lab coats pocket.

Dean nodded and put the bag of ice back onto his injury. "Thanks, doc," he said with a smile.

"No problem," the man said and exited the examine room leaving Cas and Dean alone with each other once more.

"Dean, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am. I'm a fucking idiot. I wish it were me in your position," Cas said while taking a step closer to Dean who sat up on the examine table.

The paper crinkled under him as he shifted uncomfortably. "Seriously, Cas. Don't worry about it. Obviously, fate did this to me. Maybe so I wouldn't be able to drive."

Cas grimaced at his words. Again with this 'Fate and Destiny' bullshit. Didn't he hear how delusional it made him sound? He stopped himself from rolling his eyes and gave himself a tight smile instead.

Thirty minutes later, they were back in the car on the way to the bed and breakfast with absolutely no arguments from Dean. They pulled into the large Victorian styled home with a sign that read 'Miss Missouri Mosley's Bed & Breakfast'. Cas squinted at the smaller words under the sign.

"Oh, great," he muttered to himself.

"What?," Dean asked as he straightened himself in his seat. He had his non injured arm wrapped along the sling as if to protect his elbow. Cas thought it was pretty cute.

"I'm guessing this lady is a psychic based on the fine print," he explained.

Dean squinted and read out loud, "Free psychic reading with every guest stay." He laughed lowly.

"What's so funny?," he asked as he drove slowly up the gravel driveway. The rocks popped softly under his tires.

"Ah. Nothing you'd understand. But fate is being extra amusing tonight," he said with a smile.

Cas rolled his eyes knowing Dean couldn't see him in the dark. "I know you're rolling your eyes," he commented.

His eyes widened a bit. Okay. Who the fuck was this guy?

They stopped in front of the house and got out of the car. Dean took a bit longer. Cas thought he would be milking this injury for the rest of the trip.

He grabbed their bags put of the backseat and walked up the steps. It was already nearing one in the morning so there was really no telling if this woman would answer.

But she is a psychic so she should know that they were coming. Cas smiled to himself at his little inner joke and rang the doorbell.

The tall door swung open quickly as a dark, beautiful woman peaked at them. "Castiel and Dean. I've been waiting on you," she said and stepped inside so they could enter.

So maybe she was a psychic.


	5. Road less traveled

They walked inside the large home and were immediately met with warmth and the smell of cinnamon mixed with apples. It was a very welcoming feeling and Cas knew that he liked it instantly.

"How did you know our names?," Dean asked as he looked her up and down. His stare showed that he didn't trust her yet. But he could trust a stranger enough to get into his car. Hm.

The woman placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at him. "Just please go have a seat," she said and waved a hand at a sofa in the living room. Dean stood still not bothering to move. He squinted at her not quite sure what to make of her.

"Go have a seat, boy. Fate sent you my way," she said before disappearing into another room. Cas sat on the cream leathered sofa and patted the seat next to him for Dean to sit down. He was smiling widely at him.

"Not a believer in fate anymore, huh?," he asked in amusement.

Dean rolled his eyes and sat down in a slump next to Cas. He looked a million times less intimidating with the sling around his neck and carrying his bad arm. Cas still felt horrible about the whole incident but Dean told him they needed to keep moving forward.

Dean leaned more into the sofa and leaned his shoulder on Cas'. His heartrate sped up for the second time that night but this time for a different reason. He didn't want to linger too much on these strange feelings.

Dean raised his legs slowly to rest them on the coffee table in front of them. "Don't you dare place those dirty feet on my nice table!," the psychics voice rang out shrilly from another room.

Dean hesitated in mid air and brought his feet slowly back to the ground. Cas snickered at the way Dean acted like a child when he got scolded. He wished he could see that more often.

"I'm scared," he whispered dramatically to Cas.

It was Cas' turn to roll his eyes. "She said so herself; it was Fate that brought us here."

"Thought you didn't believe in Fate," Dean mumbled unhappily.

Cas giggled and patted the top of Deans head like he was a sad puppy. It was actually adorable. "I don't but its fun to see it turn on you," he answered back with a 'Ha-Ha' smirk.

Dean kicked his leg childishly and smiled when Cas yelped out in pain. He squinted angrily at Dean and crossed his arms. Dean was about to laugh again but was stopped short when Miss Moseley entered the room carrying a candle. Dean noticed she was now wearing a cross around her neck.

She sat down in a tall chair across from them with only the coffee table separating them. She lit the candle with a match and placed it gently onto the center of the table and prayed quietly over it while rubbing her cross.

Dean and Cas exchanged odd looks and shrugged at each other. This was officially the weirdest thing that has ever happened to him.

She looked up with her dark eyes and drifted her gaze over to Cas. She held her hands out for him to take. He looked quickly at Dean whose smile had faded and who now looked genuinely interested. He nodded once in a confirmation that Cas should do this.

"My my my. Fate really likes you, Castiel James Novak," she commented as he placed his hands on top of hers. He could feel Dean chuckle softly besides him. He knew he was most likely laughing at his middle or last name.

"What does that mean?," he asked puzzled. He was tired of the weird statements that this woman was spouting. Now he wanted answers.

"Shh," she hushed him and closed her eyes. Cas closed his mouth and watched as the woman across from him hummed softly to herself before nodding to herself and smiling softly.

"He misses you, too," she said so quietly that Cas almost missed it.

"Balthazar?," he asked as hope spread quickly through his chest. Balthazar missed him? So this all wasn't for nothing?

"Your father," she said with her eyes still closed.

Cas felt like all the air had left his body. He couldn't even think straight. "My- my father?," he asked softly. He was glad that he was sitting down otherwise he was sure he would've passed out.

She nodded again with a small smile still on her face. "Yes. He says he's very proud of you and this change of direction in your life. He also wants you to know that he will always be with you even without the coat."

Cas could practically hear his heartbeat in his ears. How the hell did she know about the trench coat? He was positive that Dean didn't even know about it.

Cas swallowed. He wanted to believe that this woman held all the answers but it was never in his nature to be so optimistic. "And what about Balthazar?," he asked.

The poor woman could probably feel how awful his hands were sweating on hers. He had never been in such a 'supernatural' presence before butt he had to admit it was fairly interesting.

The woman furrowed her brow but kept her eyes closed. "Hmm. Balthazar Roche," she said quietly lost in thought or something else.

"Yes! That's him!," he said a little too excited. He ignored the way Dean tensed up next to him. It was probably just from the change of Cas' mood.

She pulled her hands away rom his slowly and frowned at him. Her eyes opened as she searched his face sadly before glancing to Dean so quickly that it could easily be missed. The tiniest smile pulled at her lips before she looked back at Cas.

"Castiel my dear," she started. Oh no. This was not going to be good. "Sometimes even the greatest love has to end so your destiny can begin," she finished cryptically.

Cas scoffed as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Okay. So what does that mean? What's my destiny?," he asked quickly as he searched the woman's eyes for answers.

"Are you the type of person to read the end of a book first?," she asked managing to counter his questions and distract him at the same time.

Cas tilted his head. Now this was just starting to get under his skin. "Of course not," he answered without hesitation.

"Then why would you ask me to give away the ending to such an epic tale?"

"But there is no such thing as fate and destiny! That's just something people made up to make themselves feel better about how they weren't changing their lives on their own. They're just waiting around for something to happen. You control your own future!," he ranted in frustration.

"And isn't that just what you were doing a few days ago? Living life with no direction?"

Cas shook his head disbelievingly. "It's all just a coincidence," he brushed her off.

"Or is it meant to be?," she asked him. Her stare was starting to become a little too tense for his liking.

He pulled all the way back from her and crossed his arms. He felt like a child for doing so but this entire situation has him freaking out.

"Castiel, promise me you will go see the Grand Canyon on your way to California," she requested as she stood up from her chair. All the bracelets on her arms jingled from the movement.

"The grand canyon? That's not the direction I was going to take. I'm going through Utah."

"Skip Utah and go through Arizona. It will be the same amount of time. Even if you don't take my advice the Universe has its way of taking you there anyways," she said with a knowing smile.

She blew out the candle and waved the smoke away. "Wait. Aren't you going to do a reading on Dean?," Cas asked and pointed at Dean who was cradling his arm and staring off into space.

"Oh, Mr. Winchester is very aware of his destiny," she said with a wink and walked over to a taller table with a laptop open on it. "I'll just go ahead and place you two in separate rooms then you're free to go."

Cas nodded but felt a bit disappointed at the fact that he and Dean wouldn't be sharing a room. God, he should be ashamed of himself. He really needed to get back to the point of this entire trip. Balthazar.

He took his change back from Missouri and pocketed it. Dean appeared behind him asking for directions to his room. He must be tired already. He nodded and headed up to his room with his black bag over his shoulder. Cas could hear him tiredly dragging his feet as he walked. Or maybe his pain pills finally kicked in.

Cas thanked Missouri and turned to head up the staircase to his own room with his black bag on his shoulder. "Castiel," the psychic called after him.

He placed his hand on the banister and turned a curious eye to her waiting for her to say her next words. "There is such a thing as fate, but it only takes you so far. Then it's up to you to make it happen," she said with such inspiration that Cas actually thought of it as true.

Once he was safely inside his room, he threw his bag carelessly onto the hard wood floor and fell backwards onto the bed. He checked his phone showing three missed calls from Charlie. The time showed that it was now two fifteen in the morning.

Usually he would take a shower but he was so exhausted now that it would have to wait until tomorrow. He debated on whether or not he should write in his journal tonight or not. He decided against it and instead stripped off his clothes in such a lazy manner.

The psychics words shook him a bit but he was sure she was full of it. Although he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation on how she knew about his father or his coat.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and sighed. When did his life become so complicated? But he didn't miss the normality of his nine to five life.

He stretched out his arm and switched off the lamp causing the room to settle into a comfortable darkness. He tossed himself onto his stomach and twisted his legs into the sheets. His eyes fluttered closed and his mind drifted off. And he would never tell if he had dreams of green eyes and diners.

XXX

-Five days until the wedding-

He awoke slowly from his slumber with a puddle of drool casually pouring out of his mouth. He grimaced tiredly and sat up in the foreign bed. Sunlight was pouring through the sheer curtains of the window and cascading light through out the room.

He wiped the sleep from his eyes and checked his phone for the time partially remembering that he forgot to set the alarm the night before. He jumped out of bed when the clock read that it was twenty minutes past eleven.

"Shit. Shit. Shit," he repeated and grabbed his bag to throw it on the bed. He dug around in it quickly but didn't recognize anything inside of it.

He picked up a black t shirt with an obnoxious graphic design plastered on the front of it. "Def Leppard?," he asked himself in confusion while he shifted the other clothes around hoping to find something familiar. He found nothing.

Then it hit him. This was Deans bag. Their bags looked so similar to each others that he didn't even bother to attempt to find his own last night. He just assumed.

But he didn't have time to sort this all out. They were supposed to be on the road five hours ago. He sighed and threw on the band t shirt following a pair of ripped up bootleg jeans that belonged to Dean also.

They were a little tighter than what he usually likes but he wasn't on his way to New York fashion week so this will do. He slipped on his plain black vans and threw the bag over his shoulder to leave. He didn't even bother to attempt to manage his hair or shower.

He ran downstairs as the bag jumped up and down from his heavy steps. He turned to go wake Deans ass up but was shocked when he looked into the dining room. Dean was sitting with Missouri at the table eating pancakes.

He was smiling at Cas as if they weren't on a fucking time period. Dean was wearing one of Cas' green v neck shirts and the pair of pants he was wearing the day before. He tried not to notice he way the green shirt made his eyes pop even more or how his biceps were especially noticeable in the tighter shirt.

"Damn. You're pulling off my jeans," Dean commented with a wink before shoving his face full of pancakes drowned in syrup.

Cas rolled his eyes and definitely didn't feel his cheeks heat up at the compliment. "We need to get going," he stated stoically.

Dean rolled his eyes back but continued to look smug. He stood up and wiped his hands before patting Missouri affectionately on the back.

He walked over to Castiel and picked up his own bag along with Cas' around his non injured shoulder and walked out the front door. Missouri stood up with her chair screeching across the hard floor.

She appeared quickly in front of Cas and pulled him into a tight hug while rubbing a hand up and down his back. She pulled away and smiled at him. "Please consider going to the Grand Canyon. It is there that your destiny will become clear."

Cas shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Miss Moseley. I can't. It's just I really need to get to California," he said apologetically.

Missouri frowned and nodded tightly. "It's alright, child. Although, lady Fate may have something to say about that."

Cas pursed his lips but managed a smile. "Thank you for your hospitality."

He walked quickly out of the large house and down the steps to his awaiting car with Dean already in the passenger seat. He smiled and slid in next to him. He didn't know about all this 'fate and destiny' talk but he knew he would always be thankful for Deans company.


	6. Wrong turn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still havent decided how many chapters this will have but I'm thinking about 17-19? We'll see how it goes. 
> 
> Also, this story is now on a schedule! I will post a new chapter every day or every other day. I don't like to drag stories out by updating them only once a week.

Cas drove and drove down the highway until the lines began to blur together. He really needed to stop and eat soon or he'd end up passing out. He also kind of wished that Dean hadn't shattered his elbow the night before and could do some of the driving himself.

It was odd to think that they just met a little over twenty four hours ago. He licked his dry lips and exited the highway. Dean sat up a bit more in his seat and furrowed his brow.

"Where are we?," he asked.

"We should be in Utah in a few more hours. I'm thinking we can keep driving until we hit California though. When's your brothers graduation?"

"It's in two days," Dean answered in a small voice.

"Okay. Well maybe we can come up with some sort of travel plan later. You know? I could probably drop you off in Kansas on my way back to Illinois if you want to stick around Cali for a few extra days," Cas offered.

Dean crossed his arms and shrugged. Now that he thought about it, Dean had been extremely quiet the entire drive. He wanted to ask him what was wrong but he didn't want to make things awkward with him.

He pulled into a McDonald's and drove around to the drive through. He wouldn't normally eat fast food but he didn't have time to waste in getting to California and plus he really loved hamburgers.

"Do you want anything?," he asked Dean who shook his head and only looked out his window away from Cas. His body language was different. He was facing away from him and his good arm rested on top of the sling.

He sighed to himself and ordered before pulling up to the window. They handed him a brown sack with his food in it and his drink. He thanked them and drove off.

"What's wrong, Dean?," Cas asked while carefully unwrapping his burger.

"Nothing," he replied shortly with him.

Cas felt his chest hollow out. What had he done to make Dean so upset?

He got back onto the highway and spotted a sign informing to stay on the right to get to Utah or to get on the left to take the highway to Arizona.

He stayed in the right lane as he took another bite of his burger and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Cas! Look out!," Dean shouted suddenly causing his head to snap up and see what the fuss was all about.

An eighteen wheeler was halfway through cutting him off with about a few inches away from the front of his car. He dropped his burger and put both hands on the wheel while managing to hit the break and swerve into the left lane.

He flipped the driver of the eighteen wheeler off before exhaling the breath that became lodged in his throat from the sudden anxiety attack. "Thanks," he mumbled to Dean and kept driving.

A small smile appeared on Deans plump lips as if he knew something he didn't. "Don't mention it."

Cas drove on into the late afternoon and ran a hand down his face. Why the hell couldn't he just take a damn plane? "Do you believe in soul mates?," he asked out of nowhere.

Dean smiled and leaned his seat back while busting into the gas station beef jerky. "Do you really want to know?," he asked back while eyeing Cas.

Cas thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Yes. I really want to know," he finally said.

He lifted his legs up until his feet sat casually on his dashboard but Cas couldn't find it in himself to care. "Well, according to Greek Mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces," he informed him before taking a bite of his jerky.

He chuckled when Cas' nose scrunched up at the image Dean was talking about. He swallowed his snack and continued, "Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate beings, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves."

Cas bit his lip and thought over what Dean had said but what did that have to do with what he was asking? "How do you know that?," he inquired.

Dean shrugged but smiled as if he was remembering something or someone. "It's just something my mom used to tell me. Her and my brother, Sam, are all into mythology. She believed there was a higher power to her and my dad getting together," he answered honestly.

Cas smiled to himself. He liked the idea of soul mates and the premise that their was someone made for everyone. You just had to find it. But the cynical side of himself told him not to be so ridiculous and it just wasn't logical. "You didn't answer my question," he stated matter of factly.

"What was it again?," Dean asked in a teasing tone.

Cas laughed and shoved Deans good shoulder lightly and shook his head. "Do you, Dean Winchester, believe in soul mates?," he made sure to ask extra specifically.

"I have to," he answered simply like it was the answer to everything.

Cas tilted his head but kept his eyes on the road. "Why?," he prompted him to continue on.

"Because after every person who left after saying they'd stay and every sleepless night of me wondering what I did wrong. I have to believe that all of that was leading up to something better. I have to believe that I'm supposed to wait for the person who's been waiting for me too," he spoke passionately mixed with a bit of sadness.

They exchanged looks as a silent understanding passed between them. Of course Cas experienced those same sleepless night and self depreciating thoughts. Cas turned back to the road and frowned as Dean sighed.

"So yes, I believe in soulmates. I believe that there's someone that will make me realize why it never worked with anyone else."

Cas said nothing as he lets the miles stretch on. He continued to replay Deans words over and over through his mind even after Dean fell asleep.

It was getting later now. The clock on his cars touch screen showed that it was nearing six p.m. Shouldn't he be seeing Salt Lake City signs or anything? The highway he was on was quiet and it seemed to stretch on forever.

His GPS hasn't told him any directions all day either. He just assumed he needed to stay on the highway. He tapped the screen to wake it up from its sleep mode. Nothing.

He tapped the GPS icon but nothing popped up. Cas squinted and tapped the music icon. Still nothing.

"What the hell?," he asked himself in frustration as he tapped on the screen with more force. The screen still wouldn't work.

Dean sat up and slowly and rubbed his eyes. "What's happening?," he asked sleepily.

"My screens not working! Which means my GPS hasn't been on this whole time!," he blurted out and took the nearest exit.

"So what are you doing then?," he asked and tried to work the screen himself.

"I need to ask for directions. Maybe get a map. Or charge my phone up. We're somewhere in Utah though. We have to be."

Dean nodded and looked out the window at his new surroundings. Five minutes later, they pulled into a gas station. Cas got out with Dean following close behind him.

"Welcome!," a voice with a thick southern drawl called out to them.

Cas fought the urge to roll his eyes. He had no time for pleasantries right now. "We're kind of lost uh," he squinted at the mans name tag before looking back up at him, "Benny. Can you tell me how to get to Salt Lake?"

The man threw his head back in laughter and wiped his eye. Cas furrowed his brow and exchanged a look with Dean who seemed to be pretending to browse the snacks.

"What's so funny?," he asked not bothering to hide how much his laugh was pissing him off.

"Well, Utah sure is a long ways away from Phoenix," he said with a chuckle.

"Phoenix? No. That can't be possible. We're in Utah," Cas corrected the clerk.

He shook his head and pointed at a newspaper on its stand. "No sir, you're not. This is Arizona."

Cas eyed the newspaper that sure enough had 'The Phoenix Times' in bold letters across the front page. "Well, shit. Do you guys sell maps then?"

Benny fought a smile and crossed his arms across his broad chest. "No we don't because this isn't the nineties and cell phones exist."

Dean busted out laughing and walked over to them empty handed. He placed a hand on Cas' shoulder. "I like this guy," he said with a smile.

Benny smiled back at Dean but in a different manner from the way he was teasing Cas. His eyes flickered quickly up and down Deans body as he licked his lips.

Cas felt a surge of jealousy rush through him. "Okay well thanks a lot. Bye," Cas told him before he would undoubtedly hit on Dean. He pushed Dean gently out of the store and into the cool Arizona evening.

They stood in front of his car and looked around as if he was just dropped randomly into a foreign country. He took out his IPhone and sighed. "I have about fifteen percent of my battery left. I suppose I can use Google maps until we get to a motel in a few hours. If I can manage to get some god damn signal."

He raised his phone into the air in hopes that it would pick up at least one bar to get them out of this state. He finally took in his surroundings and could face palm himself for not noticing that he was driving through the fucking desert the whole time but then again Dean didn't say anything either.

"Hey, I think I'm getting some signal!," he yelled with excitement at Dean who was leaning against his car.

He walked further into some dry sand and squinted at the screen. He turned around to look at Dean again when a large bird flew directly above him and grabbed the phone out of his hands with its claws.

He ducked and let out a girlish yelp that would've been embarrassing if a bird didn't just try to kill and rob him. Dean ran over to him and lifted him up with one arm. "Cas! Are you okay? What happened?, he asked worried while looking Cas over.

Cas ignored him and looked at his empty palms instead. "Oh, no. No. No. No. This can't be happening!," he cried out and dropped to his knees to dig through the sand for his missing cell phone.

Dean got onto his knees as well and helped Cas look even though they both knew it was useless. "It's gone, Dean!," he shouted with tears welling up in his eyes.

Dean frowned deeply and put a tight grip on Cas' shoulder in a attempt to get him to stop flailing all over the place. Cas stopped and looked at Dean. "Cas, we are in Arizona by fate. We need to do what it wants us to do."

Cas shook his head defiantly. "I can't do that, Dean. I should've been in California two fucking days ago!"

"God dammit, Cas! Would you stop being so cynical all the time?! We are here! Just go and give it what it wants. It's for your own good!," Dean shouted angrily and stood up. He looked down at Cas with a small frown and walked back to the car.

Cas stayed on his knees for a minute before finally standing up. He had sand all in his pants, he felt extremely dirty and he just got fucking robbed by a bird. He might as well do what 'Fate' wants now. What's he got to lose?

He ignored Dean and pushed passes the doors to the gas station where Benny stood in the same spot. "That's pretty rough, brother," he commented with a small smirk.

Cas rolled his eyes and sighed before shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "How do you get to the Grand Canyon?"


	7. Realize

They arrived at the motel about an hour outside of the national park. That way the could get some rest and leave early in the morning to get it out of the way. Hopefully, this will be the last bump along the way that they'll hit.

They sat on the trunk of Castiel's car while digging hungrily into their fast food burgers. Their thighs were pressed firmly against each others but neither one made an attempt to scoot further away.

The cool spring air blew through Cas' hair and made him happy that he somehow got to Arizona. He could see the stars lighting up the sky. A treasure he never got to experience in the city. It was beautiful. "What do you do, Cas?," Dean asked suddenly.

Cas swallowed down his food and wiped his mouth with the paper napkin. "Like for a job?," he asked back.

Dean nodded and smiled. "Yeah."

Cas looked down at his half eaten burger and looked shy. "Um, I quit my job the day before I met you,"

Dean raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Wow. Really? Is that why you packed your bag so fast?"

Cas nodded. "Yeah. I was working in a call center for tech support. I hated every minute of it and always felt like I should be doing more with my life. You know?"

Dean opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Cas holding a finger up in the air. "I swear to God, if you say anything that has to do with 'fate' or 'destiny' I will kick your ass," he said half joking.

Dean threw his head back slightly from the laughter emanating from him. Cas decided that was his favorite sound in the world and it pained him to know that they'd be going their separate ways tomorrow.

"I mean, I saw Balthazar and his fiancée in the newspaper and it just hit me like a truck. It was just like 'Holy shit. What the fuck am I doing with my life? This is going nowhere. I'm not doing any of the things that I thought I'd be doing at twenty seven.' And that's why I feel like I was meant to do this. There's something waiting for me in California. I just don't know what it is yet."

Dean nodded along as Cas spoke. He liked that about him. He fact that he'd so willingly listen to him ramble on like that. Another first for him.

"And Balthazar is the love of your life?," Dean asked in a small voice.

Cas looked forward at the night sky and thought a moment before nodding. He felt like he was but there was also a feeling in the back of his head telling him he was wrong. But he would never admit that second thought to Dean.

"Can I ask you a question?," he asked Dean as the spring wind whipped his hair crazily above his head.

"You just did," he replied looking smug.

Cas shoved him gently and laughed. He rubbed his hand down Deans back and placed his hand back into his lap. Dean shivered at the contact but that could also be because it was a bit chilly outside.

"What's the difference? Between the love of your life, and your soulmate?," he asked curious for Deans thoughts on it.

"One is a choice and one isn't," he said simply with a small shrug.

Cas smiled at his answer but frowned when he realized what his words really meant. "Tell me, Cas. What are you passionate about?," Dean asked him before he could think about it any longer.

"Human rights. Equality. It sounds cheesy but making the world a better place."

Deans face lit up. "It's not cheesy. Those are the same reasons I do what I do."

Cas smiled back at him. "You don't think that sounds silly?"

Dean shook his head quickly. "Absolutely not. What are you going to do back in Illinois?"

Cas ran a hand threw his wild hair. "I honestly have no idea. Maybe I'll start a charity organization."

Deans face and smile softened. "I think that's awesome."

"You do?," he asked. Balthazar always told him not to be ridiculous and to make sure his dreams don't get too big. Be realistic. He felt the strong urge to throw his arms around Deans neck and kiss him.

Shit. Where did that thought come from? He looked away from Dean before he got lost in his eyes and did something stupid.

"I think everything you've done so far is amazing," Dean said admirably.

Cas smiled shyly and looked up at Dean who was staring at him as if he told him he created the universe. The moonlight reflected off of his green eyes and somehow managed to make them even brighter.

He leaned in closer to Cas while Cas did the same. They were mere inches apart from each others lips. He closed his eyes slowly. All he had to do was pucker his lips…

There was a sudden uncomfortable feeling of cold liquid. His eyes flew open as they both jumped off the hood of the car. His pants were soaked from where Deans soda busted open in between them.

He groaned and looked at Dean whose pants were just as equally soaked. They hurried to their room while giggling like children at the incident. At first, he was a bit upset that the motel only had one room available but luckily it came with two separate twin beds.

He quickly slid the card into the door and laughed when Dean pushed him into the room. They both took turns using the shower and getting ready for bed.

He briefly thought about writing an entry in his journal but decided against it at the last second. It was a little heartbreaking to realize this would be his last night with Dean. He came into his life like a hurricane and only wrecked havoc but also made him see things he had been so blind to before. And for that, he would always remember him.

When the lights were off and they were both in their own beds, Cas spoke quietly. "What are you passionate about?"

It was the same thought provoking question Dean had asked him earlier. He had been so busy talking about himself that he hadn't thought to ask him about himself.

"Saving people," he said instantly in a calm tone.

Cas smiled to himself at Deans answer. How lucky was he to have met such an incredible person to share his journey with? He closed his eyes and folded his hands onto his chest. "I'm going to miss you," he replied and drifted off to sleep before he could hear Deans reply.

XXX

-Four days until the wedding-

"Dean, I'm going solely off of the directions of signs. Remember a fucking bird robbed me yesterday?," Cas asked beginning to become irritated.

They left later than he originally planned. It was now nearing ten a.m. and they were still about fifteen minutes from the Grand Canyon. Dean had been whining all morning about how he had to see his family today. He couldn't help but to feel bitter about how at least he had a family to see.

Deans laughed and slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "That's right!," he remembered loudly. "A goddamn bird robbed you."

His grip tightened around the wheel. "That's what I just said."

Dean chuckled more to himself now. "You need to get laid, Cas."

The statement threw him off. His mouth dropped slightly as he turned to Dean who only winked at him. He must have been staring too long because what felt like a second later Dean was yelling at him to get on the right side of the road.

His head snapped forward just in time to straighten himself out before they would've collided with a minivan. "Okay. You seriously need to get laid," Dean corrected himself.

"Maybe I will," Cas clapped back at him.

The teasing smile Dean had on his face wiped away instantly. "So what your plan is to go in, break up a billionaires wedding, sweep the groom off his feet and go seal the deal?"

"Well, when you say it like that it doesn't sound too romantic."

"I hate to break it to you that nothing about this sounds romantic or rational for that matter," he pointed out what Cas already knew.

"Oh, like your one to talk about rational," he said raising a judgmental eyebrow at Dean.

"Hey I'm not the one that's on my way to recreate 'Wedding crashers'," Dean referenced with a smile.

Cas rolled his eyes and thought quickly about what he could say back to Dean but was distracted by the large green sign reading 'Welcome to the Grand Canyon!'.

"We're here," he said a little too enthusiastically. Honestly, he was just relieved to be able to get this whole ordeal over with and get on with his trip. He only had four days now.

They pulled into the designated parking area and got out. He had to admit, it was a breathtaking sight. He most likely would've never took the time to come see it if he wasn't coaxed to do so.

The large gorge stretched out as far as the eye can see. They walked closer to the edge and he could hear his hear beating in his ears as they got closer. He had never been a fan of heights but having Dean by his side made him more calm then he normally would've been.

They stood a few feet from the edge and looked down. His stomach sank lowly and made his head feel extra light. He bit his lip nervously. He was here for a reason, right?

He stood there for a few minutes with his hands shoved deep into his pockets just…waiting. He was waiting for something miraculous to happen because he was supposed to be here. Wasn't he?

The wind whipped at the blue flannel he had borrowed from Dean and his hair whipped with it around his face. He sighed and closed his eyes. Maybe if he imagined Missouri then something would happen. It sounded crazy but obviously crazy was the least of his worries right now.

Nothing. Nothing was happening. He felt himself begin to feel a little angry. Angry that he had so stupidly wasted his time on this side trip when he had more important things to be dealing with. Why was this woman messing with him?!

He opened his eyes and looked at Dean who looked equally confused. He gasped softly and closed his mouth quickly. It was Dean. Dean looked different in a way. He hadn't paid much attention to him since they arrived but here he was the same man he had spent two days with but somehow he was someone completely different.

His eyes shined differently. More brighter and full of life. His freckles were more defined on his face and made him want to spend a whole day counting them. Even his hair had a different look to it. It was like seeing him in a whole new light. Or maybe he was just realizing his feelings for him now.

"What's wrong, Cas?," Dean asked worried all of a sudden. He reached out to comfort him.

Cas stepped back. He wouldn't be able to handle Deans touch right now. It was like his world was crashing down around him. Balthazar. He was doing this for Balthazar. He just needed to remind himself of that and Dean will be out of his life in no time.

A couple talked a few feet away from them. Cas had been ignoring them as well but decided to listen to see what they were saying. It was better than dealing with his emotions for Dean.

He listened closely as the man spoke. "I'm telling you; do good and good will come to you. You know a random act of kindness goes a long way."

He smiled softly. It definitely hadn't been what he was expecting but it really made him think. And maybe that's what he needed to do.

"Cas, what's going on up there? You haven't said a word since we got here," Dean said while looking him up and down.

"Nothing. I just think its time to go," he replied and walked back to the car.

Dean caught up with him. "But what about what Missouri said?"

Cas shrugged him off. "How many times do I have to tell you that fate doesn't exist-," he was cut off by the sound of another person talking to them.

He turned away from Dean to see a rather pathetic looking guy holding a can that holds coffee grounds in his small hands. Cas raised an eyebrow at him.

The boy fiddled with can and looked shyly at them. "I'm sorry to bother you gentleman but I have no other options. I'm hitchhiking my way to Las Vegas to spread my fathers ashes. Could I trouble you for a ride?"

He looked so small standing there that he almost reminded Cas of himself when he was younger. He thought briefly about turning the boy away but remembered what that man had said. Maybe this was part of his destiny. Not Dean. It had just been the moment to make him see him that way.

"What's your name?," he asked him.

"Garth," the boy answered while his lips began to form a lop sided smile.

"Get in, Garth."


	8. Life lessons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I wanted to take the time to plan out how the rest of the story would go. It will have 18 chapters with the last one being an epilogue. Again, let me know what you guys think!

"Dude. My brothers graduation is tomorrow," Dean pointed out as he glared at the new boy in the backseat.

"Dean. Its his fathers ashes and its just a small little pit stop. Where's your compassion?"

Dean crossed his arm over his sling in his attempt to have them crossed as he rolled his eyes. "Fine," he sighed out and got into the passenger seat.

Cas opened his door and took one last look around with a small smile. It really was beautiful. He slid in and took off to Las Vegas.

XXX

"So, according to my GPS, Las Vegas is only three hours away. I really do appreciate you guys doing this for me," Garth said as he leaned forward while his hands rested on Cas and Deans shoulders.

Dean kept a sour face but said nothing as Garth talked on and on in their ears. He told them all about his journey from Pike Creek, Delaware to now. Apparently his truck broke down a few states back but he was determined to obey his fathers last wish.

Cas admired his courage and it also reminded him of his father. His last dying words rang freshly in his mind. "Do whatever makes you happy, Castiel," he had told him before going to sleep for the last time. He had only been nineteen and it helped him to come to terms with he fact that he was gay.

"So what's up with you guys? How long have you been together?," Garth asked curiously.

"Uh, about three days now," Cas answered dumbly. His answer made Dean chuckle from the front seat. His brows knitted together. Now he was confused. Did he say that wrong?

"Oh, nice! I can tell you guys are in the honeymoon stage," Garth responded happily.

Dean busted out laughing now and rubbed his good arm down his leg. Cas still wasn't understanding what was happening or what was so funny.

"Honeymoon stage?," he asked for more information on what that meant.

Garth was about to say something when Dean raised his index finger up to his lips and shushed him. "Yep. It's been the best three days ever," he said with a confident smile.

The way Dean looked so sure of himself made Cas relax and stopped any further questions he would've asked otherwise. Instead, he nodded in agreement with him. "That it has."

Dean continued smiling at him and staring longingly. Cas smiled back and definitely didn't feel the way his heart skipped a beat when their eyes met.

"What happened to your arm, dude?," Garth asked pulling them out of their own private trance.

Cas groaned as Dean went on and on about how Cas brake checked him and shattered his elbow meanwhile he got off scotch free. Garth laughed from the backseat and slapped his knee. All three of them had tears in their eyes by the end of the story.

They all quieted down and just enjoyed the drive. They were now about an hour outside of Vegas when Garth sighed dramatically from the backseat. Cas and Dean exchanged looks with each other and shared a small smile at their new friends over exaggeration.

"What's up?," Dean asked him.

"I miss my dad," he said quietly. Cas adjusted his rearview mirror and felt a sad twinge shoot through him when he saw how defeated Garth looked. His head was resting against the window as he watched the buildings go by.

Cas felt a knot form slowly in his throat. Dean looked as if he had been punched in the stomach. He felt sorry for Dean but it also made him wonder about his dad and the story there. He realizes that he's never really asked Dean about his family. It's always been about him.

"So do I," he replied meekly. Dean shot him a curious look but Cas offered nothing more.

"Its just- he died so suddenly," Garth said sadly.

"Tell me about it," he muttered bitterly and frowned. Dean shifted in his seat and brought his hand up to his face. Most likely so he could rub at his five o' clock shadow that had been coming in. He's been doing that quite often when he was lost in thought.

"Is your father dead, too?," Garth asked. Cas pursed his lips and glanced in his rearview mirror again.

Garths eyes were on him waiting for him to say something comforting. He sighed but nodded sullenly. It wasn't exactly a topic that he loved talking about.

"It will be eight years in September," he said quietly. He could feel both Garths and Deans eyes burning into the side of his face.

"How did he-?," Garth started before Cas efficiently cut him off.

"A fire."

Garth averted his eyes to the floor board and nodded gravely. "I'm sorry," he said offering his condolences.

"Don't be. You just lost your father and I am sorry for your loss," Cas replied.

"Thanks, man," he said with a goofy smile and just like that the atmosphere in the car shifted dramatically.

Dean sat quietly in his seat and offered no words as they talked about childhoods, college and relationships. Cas silently hoped Dean would jump in so he could learn a little more about him.

He hated thinking about how they were about to go their separate ways in a few hours. He'd never hear his laugh, see his bright smile or gorgeous green eyes ever again. He wondered if Dean thought the same about him.

An hour later, they drove pass a large neon sign saying 'Welcome to Las Vegas'. "We're here," Cas informed them as he came to a sudden halt from the city's traffic.

"Awesome! What time is it?," Garth asked from the backseat as he leaned forward in excitement.

Cas glanced at his wrist watch and sighed softly. How the hell was it already four in the afternoon? The days seemed to be flying by this week.

"So after we get this out of the way, Stanford is still eight hours away. We can make it there by one a.m. and I can drop you off and get myself a hotel before I head to Los Angeles," Cas informed Dean.

Deans face turned dark before he nodded slowly in agreement. Cas thought about asking him what was wrong but he already knew he wouldn't tell him the truth. He turned his attention towards his new friend.

"What's your plan?," he asked and tilted his chin up at him.

"Take us to the Bellagio," he requested with a smile and patted the coffee canisters lid.

Cas smiled. "You got it." His car beeped obnoxiously after he said that. He looked down at the dashboard and saw he was nearing empty on gas and needed to fill up soon.

He sighed and looked for signs for the nearest gas station. "Break time," he informed them.

"Oh man, that has to be my dad messing with us. I'm almost there, dad!," Garth said dramatically.

Cas chuckled while Deans frown deepened. "Can you shut up already?!," he cried out.

Garth flinched and sunk down into his seat. Cas jumped at Deans sudden outburst. He checked the rearview mirror and felt deeply saddened at Garths hurt face.

His usual cheerful glow was now replaced with a depressing one. "What's your problem, Dean?," he yelled feeling the need to defend Garth.

Dean rolled his eyes as his face settled into a firm, angry expression. He could tell Dean wasn't about to answer him but whatever mood he was in needed to go away otherwise he'll be the one hitchhiking to the next state.

He pulled into the gas station and put the car in park in front of the pump. Garth jumped eagerly out of the car and ran into the store with his fathers ashes still in tow.

Cas turned towards Dean angrily. "What the hell was that?," he asked him. He needed a straight forward answer from him and no bullshit either.

Dean shrugged and looked out his window making sure Cas couldn't see his face any longer. "You hurt him, Dean. The kid just lost his father."

"Yeah, well he's not the only one!," Dean shouted in frustration and threw his hand in the air.

"You- you lost your father?," Cas asked wanting to be sure that's what he just heard from Dean

He nodded and looked down at his feet in the floorboard. "Three months ago and it still hurts like hell," he confessed.

Cas placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I heard you say that you still missed yours after eight fucking years. How am I supposed to move on now?," Dean asked sadly.

Cas frowned. "Dean, its never not going to hurt, its your father for gods sake. But nothing is bringing them back and all we can do now is remember them and celebrate the life they had."

Dean seemed to be thinking it over for a moment. "Yeah. You're right. You're absolutely right, Cas. Oh God. I was a total dick to a kid who just lost his dad. I'm such an asshole."

Cas nodded in agreement and laughed when Dean shoved him for agreeing. He stepped out of the car and gestured towards the store. "Go apologize and buy him something to eat," he suggested.

Cas watched as he got out of the car and half jogged into the small store. He noticed how Garth left his backdoor open in his hurry to get away from Dean. He turned around and began to pump gas.

"Hey, Cas! Do you think he'd like it better in the fountains or the swimming pool?," Garths voice called out closely from behind him.

He turned back and watched in what seemed slow motion as Garth tripped and began to fall along with his fathers remains. He dropped the nozzle and looked in fear at Dean who was desperately trying to stop him.

Garth slipped out of his hands and landed his upper body in the backseat. A large cloud of what could easily be mistaken as dust filled the air.

"Oh my God!," he cried out and brought a quick hand up to his mouth and watched in horror while Dean pulled Garth back up to his feet. Deans efforts proved to be in vain when Garth fell back down to his knees and pathetically attempted to sweep the ashes back into the canister with his hand.

"Dad! I'm so sorry," he sobbed uncontrollably as onlookers stopped to see what the commotion was about. Dean kept pulling at Garths arms that scratched away at Cas' floorboard to get any little ash that he could.

Dean dropped to his knees along with him and helped him even though the pieces were disintegrating as soon as they were touched. Cas placed the nozzle back onto the pump and fell slowly onto his knees next to Dean and Garth.

He patted Garths back gently and opened his arms for him to take comfort in. Garths face filled with tears as he gave up on the task and threw his arms around Cas' neck while sobbing lightly.

Dean reached over and grabbed the canister from the seat before placing the lid back onto it. "There's still about a quarter of him left in here," he said quietly.

"I'm still a fuck up even after his death! I let him down again!," he yelled.

Cas shook his head. "Hey. Stop that. Here's what you're going to do; you're going to stand up, brush yourself off and go on with the original plan. We're going to spread the rest of him into the Bellagio fountain and then you're going to get on a plane and go home. Okay?"

Garths tears stopped. He thought Cas' words over for a moment. "Okay," he agreed while sniffling and stranding up on shaky knees.

The small crowd that gathered around erupted into light applause and cheers. Garth earned handshakes and words of condolences. While Cas was rewarded with claps to his back.

He slid back into his seat while Dean did the same. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed as Garth finally got in. All three remained silent. The only sounds coming from Garths broken sniffling.

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of the extravagant hotel. It was dark outside now so the hotel displayed multiple colored lights shining on it. Cas had to admit it was rather gorgeous.

They walked to the large fountain that sprayed upwards in different directions. A few tourists were tossing coins into the water and making useless wishes. They stopped in front of the fountain and exchanged awkward glances.

Cas cleared his throat and spoke, "Garth, would you like to say a few words before you let him go?"

Garth stared blankly at the water pouring above their heads but nodded solemnly anyhow. "Yeah," he said quietly and walked closer to the water.

"I was so lucky to have known a man like my father. He was everything anyone would ever want. Kind, smart, respectful of my choices. Those were just some of the things he was. I remember what he said to me as he lay dying. He said 'Garth, in the end you should always do the right thing even if it's hard. Remember that," he spoke passionately as he held the coffee canister to his chest.

Cas looked up from the water to gauge Deans reaction to what was happening. He expected to see him zoned out and was taken by surprise when their eyes met. His eyes were filled with tears. Judging by the wetness he felt slide down his cheek, his were the same.

He tore his stare away and back to Garth who was gently taking the lid of with shaky hands. "And I like to think that I have been doing the right things. I went on an unbelievable road trip. And I- I think the road is where I found myself. I know you're in a better place, dad. Thank you for being exactly who you were and showing me that I could do the same," he finished.

He poured the remainder of the ashes out into the water and smiled softly when they swirled along and danced beautifully. Cas sniffled and wiped his wet eye. "That was great, Garth," he whispered.

Dean agreed and pulled him into a quick hug while rubbing his back with his good hand. Garth smiled at them both. "Thank you guys for getting me here but I feel like it's time for me to go."

"Are you sure? I could buy you a drink at the bar," Dean offered sincerely.

Garth shook his head. "Nah. I did what I came here to do. Besides, you guys need your alone time, I'm sure."

"Actually, we're not a couple," Cas started to explain.

Garth held a hand up and cut him off. "I know. But I'm not an idiot. I know when I see pining."

Dean opened his mouth to defend himself but let it drop when Garth began to walk away with the now empty container. He stopped and turned his head slightly around to look at them once more. "Castiel," he said.

Cas knitted his brow together in confusion and waited for Garth to say whatever he was going to say.

"Everything will work out in the end. You don't need to know how. You just need to trust that it will," he said ominously and walked away into the night.

Cas replayed his words repeatedly over in his mind trying to shrug them off. Why was everyone saying odd things to him lately.

He sighed and sat down on the edge of the fountain while Dean did the same. He didn't comment on the way their legs pushed against each other or how there was a lot more room for him to sit not so close to him. He didn't comment because he actually quite enjoyed it and he hated himself for admitting that.

"So, are you ready to go?," Dean asked.

Cas bit his lip. That's right. He was going to California to stop his ex's wedding and to drop Dean off. It would also be the last time he would ever see him. The thought alone made his chest feel empty and hollow.

"Actually, what do you say we get drunk tonight?," he askes nervously hoping Dean would say yes.

Dean smiled widely and nodded. "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."


	9. Mistakes were made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! We are officially halfway finished with this story!

Cas threw back another shot and laughed loudly while leaning on Dean. Dean laughed back and took a large gulp of his beer. They had been going back and forth like this for the past hour.

After Garth left, they wondered the strip until Dean deemed a small dive bar fit. He claimed it was perfect because it wasn't too crowded and no crazy gamblers within a walking distance of them.

"I'm having the best time, Dean," Cas declared while his hand lingered on Deans shoulder.

Dean leaned into his touch and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too."

Cas couldn't look away from him. Ever since he realized he was beginning to like him, everything Dean did was different in a way. The way he moved, the way he talked and the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed really hard at something.

Of course he knew he couldn't continue to have these feelings for him. But the alcohol buzzing through his system was saying something different.

"Where should we go next?," he said a little too loudly.

Dean shrugged and leaned his arm onto the bar while snapping to get the blonde bartenders attention. She turned around and rested her elbows on the bar across from them. "Another shot?," she asked.

Dean shook his head. "Nah. We just wanted to know your recommendations for a good time around here."

The bartender looked between them quickly and smirked. "Oh, yeah. I know a great place you guys will absolutely love."

Cas stood up on his wobbly legs. "Great! Lets go, Deannn," he said while dragging out Deans name sloppily.

Dean stood up as well and wrapped his arm around Cas' shoulder but only to help him stand up straight, of course. "What's the place called?," he asked.

"Palomino Club. Just go down the street to the cross walk, take a right and you're there. You can't miss it," she said with a knowing smile. Her eyes were gleaming with mischief.

Dean nodded. "Thanks, uh," he squinted at her nametag that was pinned on her chest, "Jo."

"You boys stay safe," she waved sweetly and turned away from them to attend to the other customers.

Dean waved his hand back at her and dodged the flood of incoming customers with Cas still in tow. They walked down the street and waited patiently for the cross walk to turn green. Cas wiggled beneath Deans touch.

"I'm going to miss you," he said quietly into his shoulder.

Dean smiled to himself and leaned down. He planted a small kiss on the top of Cas' head. "It won't be goodbye. Just see you later."

"But I don't even want to say see you later. It's going to hurt," Cas confessed softly.

Dean nodded and opened his mouth to reply but stopped when the light turned green. He turned right and walked down the busy street. A large, black and white neon sign read the name of the club Jo had mentioned. There was surprisingly no line to get in.

He paid the bouncer the entrance fee and walked into the smoky room with a buzzed Castiel. Cas lifted his head and smiled. "Shots!," he shouted enthusiastically.

A few people cheered at the mention of alcohol. Cas laughed and skipped to the bar with Dean following close behind. He sat happily on the stool and tapped his fingers on the counter waiting for the bartender to notice him.

Dean sat next to him and shook his head with amusement. It did seem like Dean was humoring him but in his defense, he's never so much as been tipsy in his life. To his surprise, he could hold his alcohol exceptionally well.

A dark haired man with matching dark eyes stood across the bar with a small rag in his hands. "Hey, I'm Aaron. What can I get you guys?"

"Buttery nipple?," Cas asked while giggling at the shots name.

Aaron laughed with him and nodded. "Coming up," he said with a sultry wink before sauntering off.

Cas was feeling good tonight. And the bartender wasn't looking too bad either. His eyes quickly flickered down his body as he took him in. He wasn't Deans level of attractive but he wasn't bad either.

Dean shifted next to him causing him to look away. "What's wrong?," he asked him. Dean was starting to look uncomfortable and flushed.

"Is he flirting with you?," Dean asked hesitantly.

Cas shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and smiled. "So what if he was?," he asked playfully.

"Maybe the fact that you're stopping your ex's wedding in a few days? Why are you checking out other guys?," Dean questioned him as his brows drew together.

"It's been a long time," he answered with a chuckle.

Dean frowned. "So, why did you and him break up anyways?"

Cas' eyes averted to the counter as he picked at the wood. "He told me I'd never amount to anything and he needs someone who can provide for him."

"That fucking asshole," Dean said angrily and balled up his fist.

Cas touched his shoulder lightly. "Its okay, Dean. That was a long time ago. I've changed. I can… I can show him that I've changed."

Dean looked away and ran his hand down his face. Cas wondered what he was thinking about but didn't dare to ask him. The bartender returned with his shot. "Enjoy. And you're just in time for the show," he said with a smile while backing up to serve his other customers.

"What show?," Cas asked Dean whose eyes went wide as he spun around in his stool.

A woman came out onto the stage in a tight red dress and matching heels. Wait, what's that stage for? She flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled at all the applause she was receiving.

She held a perfectly manicured hand up to get the crowd to calm down. "Hello Las Vegas! It's your host, Bela Talbot! Are you guys ready to get hot?," she asked riling the crowd up even more.

"Look at all you fine young gentleman tonight! I hope you brought an umbrella because it's raining men!," she shouted before walking off of the stage.

The crowd erupted into wolf whistles and scattered cheers as six male strippers made their way out from behind the curtain and began dancing to 'It's raining men.'

Cas and Dean exchanged horrified looks before busting out into a fit of laughter. Definitely not what they were expecting in the slightest.

"Should we leave?," Cas asked over the loud music.

Dean shook his head with a wide smile. "Why? This is fun, right?"

Cas giggled into his palm and nodded. They cheered as each male stripper did their own solo dances. Each one brought a person from the audience up onto the stage for a public lap dance.

They both were getting into he show while throwing back mixed drinks and beer. Cas was beginning to feel a bit light headed from all the alcohol but put on a brave face for Dean. And besides, he was having tons of fun.

The host, Bela, came back onto the stage and clapped. "Alright everyone! Lets give it up for the last performer of the night, Cole Trenton!," she introduced loudly into the microphone.

The song 'Pony' by Ginuwine started playing. The crowd began cheering even louder when a nicely built man stepped onto the stage with nothing but sweatpants on.

He seemed to be surveying the crowd quickly before walking down the steps while dancing sexily to the beat of the song. A few customers reached over and placed dollar bills into the waist band of his sweats.

He kept walking until he reached the bar. He stopped in front of Cas and held his hand out as his chest twitched up and down. Cas laughed and shook his head to decline the dancers offer.

He continued to hold out his hand for him to take while dancing. The bar cheered and yelled at Cas to do it. Deans hand was on his shoulder pushing him out of his stool.

Cas groaned inwardly but reluctantly grabbed his hand anyway. Cole led him up the stage towards a chair in the middle of it. "You really don't have to do this," Cas yelled over the sensual beat.

The dancer ignored him and pushed him by his chest ono the chair. "Okay. I guess you're doing this," he said to himself. A bachelorette party in the front row screamed loudly and demanded for Cas to take his clothes off as well.

Cole grinded his hips in the air before ripping his sweatpants off, revealing a tight thong that was barely covering what he had. More screams and wolf whistles.

Cas gripped his palms onto the edge of the chair and grimaced. He definitely did not want to be here. Maybe he should've drove to California instead. He didn't get to ponder long when a muscular leg was thrown over his and a pair of curious hands were in his hair.

He squeezed his eyes shut and felt the unpleasant feel of the mans groin against his abdomen as it rutted sexually against him. It was not sexy in the slightest. Oh God, could this day get any weirder?

The man grabbed the back of Cas' head and brought it down to meet his barely covered dick. Cas placed his hands on Coles thighs and held on tightly so he couldn't get any closer to him.

The man pushed away with irritation and began to dance for the audience instead of Cas. He let out a large breath of relief and attempted to search for Dean in the crowd.

Dean was still in the same stool with his elbow resting on the bar behind him. His gaze was dark as he stared at Cas. His expression didn't seem to change when they made eye contact. Dean licked his lips and Cas turned back to Cole.

He knew the song was almost over by now and he was thanking all the angles in Heaven for it. Cole turned suddenly to Cas with about five feet between them and dove down to the stage where he performed a quick dry hump.

The audience loved it but Cas thought of it as disgusting He couldn't wait to get out of here. Cole jumped back to his feet and ripped the thong off as the song ended. His unsurprisingly small penis flopped between his legs. The bachelorette party screamed loudly and threw a stack of dollar bills onto the stage. His eyes went wide as he threw his hand up to his mouth with a mixture of shock and to hide his laughter.

Cole winked at him before walking through the curtains to get backstage. Cas stayed on the chair for a few more seconds and shook his head in disbelief. What the fuck was going on with his life? When did it all become so unpredictable?

A hand on his shoulder pulled him quickly out of his thoughts. He looked up and looked into bright green eyes who helped pull him back up to his feet. "Well, that was something," Dean commented into his ear even though there was no loud music playing at the moment.

Cas punched Deans arm lightly as they walked off the stage and into the night. "Don't fucking make me do that again, you asshole."

Dean laughed and wrapped his arm casually around Cas' shoulder while they walked down the street. They stopped and picked up hot dogs from a street vendor before continuing on with their walk.

"You really surprised me up there," Dean said breaking the silence between them as they ate.

"Did I?," Cas queried while shoving the rest of his food into his mouth.

Dean laughed and nodded. "Yeah. I thought you would enjoy it. I guess I was wrong." He stopped walking and turned to Cas.

Cas ran his tongue over his bottom lip. "Maybe I would've if it was from the right person," he said with a smirk and sub-consciously took a step closer to Dean.

Deans eyes lit up but his mouth stayed in a small smile. He took a step closer until they could feel each others body heat. "You have a little something right there," he commented while pointing to the corner of his lip.

Cas' tongue darted out as he attempted to lick up what was surely ketchup on the left side of his mouth. Dean chuckled softly and shook his head. He brought his thumb up to the right corner of Cas' mouth and wiped the condiment away.

His hand spread out and held onto his face gently. They said nothing as they continued to stare into each others eyes. It was as if they were both about to come undone. Deans eyes were screaming for permission from Cas to let him kiss him.

"God, you are so beautiful," Dean whispered sweetly. A small blush rose quickly through his cheeks but he didn't care. All he wanted was to feel Deans lips on his. They leaned in closer and closer until the shrill sound of a bell ringing broke them away. But it wasn't the sound of a cell phone. It sounded more like a church bell.

Cas tore his gaze away from Dean and looked across the street where the sound was emitting from. A small white chapel with a man dressed up as Elvis Presley was standing outside. "Come say 'I do' with the king!," he yelled loudly, attracting a few couples walking by.

He looked back at Dean who held a devilish gleam in his eye. "Ever feel like doing something crazy?," he asked with a raise of his brow.

Cas felt pale. He couldn't marry a stranger. Could he? But then again, he's done crazier things. Like drop everything and drive cross country. Screw it. He was in.

He grabbed Deans hand quickly while pulling him across the street. Dean laughed and ran, dragging Cas along with him. They ran up the staircase and stopped in front of the Elvis impersonator.

"We want to get married!," Cas cried out in excitement.

The man looked them both up and down before clapping his hands together. "Well, lets go!," he said while pushing the double doors to the chapel open.

"Do you have a witness?," he asked over his shoulder.

Dean and Cas exchanged looks. "Uh, no?," Dean asked. Is that something a wedding entails? He had no idea.

"Ah, no worries, fellas. My friend, Davie, will be your witness," he said while gesturing to a drag queen dressed up as Jackie Kennedy. He did a pretty good impression.

Davie gave them a small wave and sat down into the front pew. Elvis stopped in front of them and instructed them on where to stand. They stood across from each other and held each others hands. Well, Cas held onto Deans only good hand while the other one rested in its sling. He felt like he was going to puke and not from all the alcohol.

"Any words?," Elvis asked.

"Uh, honestly, I have no idea what is wrong with me right now. I'm about to marry someone I've known for all of three days. But you are the nicest human being I've ever known so life with you couldn't be all that bad," Cas said. He had no clue what he was supposed to say. He didn't know Deans favorite color or the name of his favorite movie but he could do this.

Elvis grimaced at Cas' words and looked over to Dean. "Um, okay. How about you? Any words?"

Dean nodded and cleared his throat. "You know, sometimes you meet someone. Its random and comes at the most unexpected time. I like to call if fate while others call it coincidence. A week ago, I thought I would never get to experience the stories my mom used to tell me. But then, you came along. You made me realize why it never worked with the rest. I've realized what was missing with them. Because now, you're standing in front of me and you make me happier than I've been in a long time. You make me smile like some kind of idiot, because god, you're ridiculous. You are your own kind of perfect. Sweet and handsome and smart and everything I've ever wanted. So, all I can do is take a chance and hope that I'm you're kind of perfect, too," Dean spoke passionately.

Elvis wiped away a small tear and sniffled. "That was beautiful, man," he said.

Cas looked between them as his heart beat suddenly sounded excruciatingly loud in his ears. Is that how Dean felt about him? Oh god. What was he doing? He couldn't do this. He wasn't the 'marry a stranger in Vegas' type.

He jerked his hand out of Deans and backed up while shaking his head. "I- I cant do this," he said quickly before taking off out of the chapel.

He could hear Dean calling his name after him but he didn't care. He needed as far away from him as possible. What was he thinking?


	10. That awkward moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short! I have a really long idea on how the next part will go and i didnt want this to become a monster of a chapter lol

Cas barely slept. He made it back to their hotel in one piece while managing to hide and run away from Dean. He knew he had to talk to him sooner or later but now was not the time for it.

He though briefly about checking into his own room but the hotel policies state that you can't have more than one room under your name. He would just have to ignore Dean for tonight.

Dean came to the room around three in the morning. Cas had expected him to reek of alcohol but was proven wrong when he smelled exactly the same. So, where had he been this entire time if not drinking?

He attempted to shake Cas awake while begging him to talk to him. Cas pretended he was asleep even though they both knew he wasn't. "Please talk to me, Cas. I want to fix this. Let me fix this," he pleaded desperately into his ear.

Cas let out a few fake snores that definitely wouldn't win him an Oscar anytime soon. Eventually, Dean gave up and laid down on the hard floor next to the bed. Cas opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling.

"I'm not sorry that I fell in love with you," Dean whispered into the quiet room. Cas frowned and said nothing. Dean didn't love him. He loved the idea of him. The idea of meeting a stranger on accident and calling it fate was twisted in its own way. But it wasn't love. He was not Deans destiny and Dean was not his.

He tried to get a decent amount of sleep but tried in vain. Cas tossed and turned for the rest of the night. His mind raced with a million questions about this entire trip. When did he forget about Balthazar? What exact moment was it when Dean crept under his skin? He thought back to the moment at the Grand Canyon when Dean looked like a completely different person.

And maybe he wasn't. Maybe the psychic just got to him and have him believe anything remotely different was some sign of his destiny. He was such an idiot.

~3 days until the wedding~

Sunlight began to seep through the thin curtains of the hotel room. He blinked at the clock on the night stand seeing it was seven thirty in the morning. He sighed and sat up slowly in bed while rubbing the exhaustion from his eye.

Dean sat up from his spot on the floor looking even more worse for wear than Cas did. It looked as if he didn't even attempt to sleep and his eyes were bloodshot. Cas couldn't will himself to feel bad for him even though he really wanted to.

"Cas," Dean started with a raspy voice.

Cas shook his head and shot out of bed to head to the shower. He turned around before he got to the door leading to the bathroom. "Last night was a mistake. I hope you can understand and we can move past it. At least until I drop you off with your family," he told Dean trying to keep himself unapologetic.

Deans jaw dropped slightly before he nodded slowly. "Um. Okay. If that's what you want."

"It is," he responded coldly. He didn't mean to be this way but it was clear that they both crossed a line the night before. He shut the door before Dean could say anything further.

Once inside, he started up the shower and let the water run loudly before walking back to the door and sliding down it in defeat. He placed his face in his hands and let himself cry for the first time in a long time. He hasn't cried since him and Balthazar ended it. But even that didn't hurt as much. How was he supposed to get through this eight hour drive?

XXX

"What time is your brothers graduation?," Cas asked as they drove down the highway towards Stanford, California. He had been trying to make small talk with Dean but only kept coming up short making this drive uncomfortable.

"Five tonight," Dean answered in a clipped tone.

"Well, we should be getting there around three to four so you'll have plenty of time," he said.

Dean pursed his lips and nodded. They had only been on the road for three hours now and he barely managed to say a word. Cas knew of course it was because of how he messed things up the night before but that didn't mean that they couldn't be friends Right?

"Dean, look," he started with an exasperated sigh. Dean held his hand up quickly to cut him off.

"You know what? Just save it, Cas. I really thought you knew what you wanted but it turns out that you're just scared. And I had you pegged for something completely different so I guess that's my fault, too." He slumped lower into his seat and turned his head towards the window.

Cas swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. "Dully noted."

They were about an hour away from Stanford when Dean finally broke the deafening silence. It was the worst ride of his life. It also didn't help that his radio was still busted. He really needed to look into getting that fixed.

"I'm really sorry, Cas. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or make any of this weird. It's just that I didn't do last night because it was the heat of the moment. I did it because I wanted to. I feel like we're connected and I understand that you don't feel the same way," he said softly.

Cas nodded and chewed gently on his bottom lip. "I get it. I was to blame for that as well. I shouldn't have led you on. We both know that I have someone waiting for me in Los Angeles."

"Would I make it weirder if I said I thought you were my soulmate?," Dean asked with an awkward chuckle.

"We believe in different things," Cas replied. He would never admit the way his heart sped up or how he now had to take turns wiping his hands on his jeans from the sweat that built up on them from Deans words.

Dean shrugged. "Yeah. I guess we do," he said sadly.

XXX

Cas pulled up to a large two story house in a nice sized suburban neighborhood. "I didn't take you for a rich boy," Cas commented with a raise of his eyebrow.

Dean laughed and shoved him playfully as he put the car into park. "Shut up. We were far from it growing up. This is actually a rental. My mom and dad got it to be closer to Sam."

"That's very sweet. Did you go to Stanford as well?," Cas asked while running his fingers through his hair and looking into the small mirror above his head.

"Nah. I went to South Kansas University," Dean answered with a wave of his hand as if it were no big deal.

"That's amazing, Dean. You always continue to surprise me," he said with a small smile.

Dean smiled back with one of Cas' favorites. The one where his eyes crinkled up and he looked at him like he was saying the most interesting things. He felt like his stomach dropped when he was reminded that he was now dropping Dean off. The road trip was over.

Deans face dropped as he seemingly remembered reality at the same time. His lip quivered slightly while he searched Cas' eyes for a sign that this wasn't supposed to end.

A loud rapping sound pulled them both out of their gaze. Cas looked over Deans shoulder where a middle aged blonde woman stood bent over. Dean turned around to see who was at the window. The blonde woman waved excitedly with her mouth open. Dean laughed and opened the door while getting out without another look back.

"Dean! Oh my goodness! What on Earth happened to your arm?," the woman yelled out as she lightly touched his arm to get a better look. Dean shook her off then wrapped her up into a tight hug.

"Mom. I'm fine. Remember how we talked about this? Don't stress out so much," Dean said sternly but his affectionate smile gave away how he truly felt.

"Can you blame me?! Last thing I heard, Sam told me you broke down in Kansas and your phone broke and you weren't coming. I was- I was so worried," she said quickly while looking him up and down for another look over.

Dean stepped back and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. "I'm fine, mom. Cas here gave me a ride," he told her while pointing his head in Cas' direction who was sitting awkwardly in the drivers seat still.

Cas gave a small wave and a tight smile. He really should get going. He did have a wedding to stop after all. Deans mom smiled brightly at him. "Oh my. You are very handsome," she said and turned to Dean, "He is very handsome, Dean."

Dean ducked his head but Cas could still tell that an embarrassed heat had begun to engulf his face. "Yes, mom. I know. But Cas was just leaving."

Her face dropped with disappointment. "You're leaving?," she asked not bothering to hide her feelings. Cas could tell where Dean got his boldness from.

Cas nodded awkwardly. "Uh, yeah. I need to get going to Los Angeles."

Deans mom stuck out her bottom lip and looked at Dean. Dean sighed but smiled at his mother. "Actually, you don't have to be there for another three days, right?," Dean asked with a raised brow.

Cas pursed his lips. Dean knew exactly what he was doing right now. "Yes but I did want to get settled and what not," he replied back while squinting at Dean. Why was he doing this? He should know that all he was doing was delaying the inevitable.

"Oh, what's the rush? We won't bite. You can meet Sam and Jess. I'm sure his brother would love to meet the man that saved our Dean," his mother said as she brought a hand up to her chest.

Cas thought it over quickly. He didn't want to be rude and decline her offer. And he really didn't have any real plans until the actual wedding. Also, this would help him have a proper goodbye with Dean when the time came. He knew he wouldn't be able to leave it at just this anyhow.

He smiled widely. "I'd love to stay."


	11. Meet the family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving! :)

In the short drive to Stanford University, Cas learned that Deans mothers name was Mary. She worked as a kindergarten teacher at the local elementary school. His father was John Winchester and he died in the line of duty with the police force. It did explain why Dean chose to be a detective and his earlier outburst when fathers were brought up.

He told Mary all about his father who worked as a judge for the state of Illinois. He reluctantly answered the questions about his mother and didn't miss the pity looks when he told them that she abandoned him as a newborn.

He was grateful the conversation didn't turn awkward after his confession and even more so when they finally pulled up to the large stadium Deans brother was graduating from. He parked the car a bit far away since he wasn't even going to attempt to find closer parking.

They all got out of the car and walked towards the line of excited family waiting to get in. Mary walked ahead of them and caught up with a few other parents that she knew leaving Dean and Cas alone for the first time all afternoon.

Cas shoved his hands in his pockets and attempted to do his best to avoid any eye contact. Instead, he focused on not stepping on any cracks in the parking lot. It was childish but dammit, he has a right to be!

Dean cleared his throat awkwardly. "Cas, you didn't have to stay if you didn't want to. I know you want to get to Los Angeles to be with Balthazar," he said in a hurt tone.

Cas flinched slightly at his words. Dean hasn't said what he thinks of him and Balthazar but he really didn't need to. He had a pretty good idea on how he felt. "I want to stay. Besides, I have three days to figure something out," he said with a shrug.

"Wait. Isn't the wedding in three days?," Dean asked as his voice rose an octave.

Cas stopped walking and turned to Dean. "Yeah. So what?," he asked defensively while crossing his arms.

Deans eyes were wide. "Cas, you can't stop someone from getting married on their wedding day! How would you feel if someone did that to you?," Dean was practically yelling as if he couldn't believe Cas' plan.

"Yes I can, Dean! What's the whole point of 'speak now or forever hold your peace' if no ones ever expected to speak now? I need to speak!," Cas yelled back causing a few passerby's to turn their heads curiously at their conversation.

Dean placed his hand on Cas' shoulder and leaned in. "Listen to me. There is a time and place for everything. Please promise me you won't go in there guns blazing on two peoples wedding day," Dean spoke desperately trying to reason with him.

Cas wanted to refuse. He wanted to scream at Dean for trying to interfere on his plans. But he couldn't. Not when Dean was looking at him the way he was. So desperate for none of this to happen. Cas slumped his shoulders and ducked his head down. "Okay, Dean. I promise," he said softly.

Dean continued staring at him but his face remained unreadable. He nodded once and pursed his lips before removing his arm and sighing. "Okay. Good," he finally said as they began to walk through the crowd again.

XXX

The bleachers they had them sitting in were extremely uncomfortable. Not to mention they were cold and offered no real support. They sat a little higher up so they could see Deans brother on the large stadium camera and video monitor that displayed the graduates as soon as they received their diplomas.

Mary sat on the edge, followed by Dean then Cas. He could really tell how much Dean adored and loved his mother. Something he never got to experience himself but it was still nice to see Dean have it.

The graduation begun with the valedictorian giving an unusually long speech about the future. Typical. They always said the same thing. How the possibilities are endless, they all will still remain friends and they were about to go out and conquer the world. It was bullshit but Cas still clapped when expected to.

The very long list of names started to be called and Sam was a 'W', so he would be one of the last ones. Cas wrapped his arms around himself and shivered slightly. They were up in the bleachers so high and the sun was starting to set, causing the temperature to drop.

Mary reached over and touched his arm lightly. "Oh, hunny. Are you cold?," she asked before reaching into a large bag next to her that he didn't notice until now.

She pulled out a small throw blanket that was folded up and unfolded it quickly. "It's okay, Mrs. Winchester," Cas said genuinely while shaking his head.

"Call me Mary," she said with a smile. Mary stood up and wrapped the blanket around his shoulders anyways and gave him a light squeeze. Cas' mouth fell open slightly as he touched the soft blanket around his shoulders and turned to look at her.

She was now facing the graduation ceremony and not paying any mind to Castiel. He looked back at the crowd and smiled to himself softly. He leaned in closer to Dean and if Dean noticed, he didn't say anything about it.

XXX

They waited for what felt like hours before Sam's name was finally called. All three of them jumped up and yelled into cupped hands while cheering even though they were strictly told to wait for the end. "That's my brother!," Dean yelled after the crowd went quiet.

Sam's enlarged face was shown smiling widely on the stadiums monitor and giving a thumbs up. Dean smiled back even though he knew Sam couldn't see him. All the positive feelings around Cas made him feel a lot better than how he was feeling earlier. He smiled proudly at Dean when Dean turned to him and wrapped his arm around his shoulder giving him a tight hug. "He did it," he whispered into Cas' ear while he ran a hand down Deans back.

After the ceremony was over, they rushed down to the field to meet Sam for pictures and congratulations. It took only five minutes to find him since Dean warned him before that his 'sasquatch' of a brother sticks out like a sore thumb in crowds.

Dean ran up to him and threw his arm tightly around Sam's neck while whispering something to him. Sam looked alarmed for a moment as he gestured to Deans arm still in a sling. Dean waved him off and laughed before pulling him back into a hug. Mary pulled Dean off of him then threw her own arms around her youngest son. Cas felt like he was watching some happy movie and then he felt like the outsider to all of this.

Of course, this was all Dean needed him for. To get him to this place. He turned around and started to walk away until a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. He looked up into Deans familiar green eyes and felt all the air escape his lungs.

"Where do you think you're going?," he asked with a small smirk. "Moms going to be pissed if she sees you leaving."

Cas smiled but said nothing as Dean led him back to his family. A very tall man that he knew as Sam stood before him as a smile played on his own lips while looking between him and Dean. "So, you saved my brothers ass, huh?," he asked with a smirk.

"Shut up, bitch," Dean yelled while slapping his brothers arm lightly. His voice was filled with adornment for him, despite his words.

"Language!," Mary yelled back while slapping both of her sons on the arm. She smiled at them nonetheless.

"I wouldn't say that I saved him but yeah," he said with a shrug.

Sam smiled again and pulled him into a hug. Jeez. This family sure did like to hug. "I know my brother when he's in love and he is by the looks of it. Just please don't hurt him," he whispered into his ear quickly before letting go.

Cas nodded and stared blankly at the ground for a few moments before another hand was pulling him back out of his thoughts. A camera was shoved into his hands as the Winchester family lined up in front of him. Sam stood in the middle as one arm was slung over Mary's shoulder and the other one over Deans.

All three smiled brightly as Cas snapped a few pictures. He handed the camera back to Mary but she shook her head quickly. "Cas, get in here!," she said with excitement.

Cas shook his head back at her. "Oh, no. I can't. I really wouldn't want to intrude."

Mary scoffed. "You would not be! You're family. Isn't he, boys?," she asked her sons for backup.

"Well, I did just meet him ten minutes ago but why not? Our family needed a little expanding anyways," Sam said with a laugh.

Mary laughed with him and raised an eyebrow at Dean for him to add something to convince Cas. Dean blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "If my mom says you're family, then you're family," he said with a hint of embarrassment.

Cas smiled widely as his heart felt like it was filling up. It was a feeling he couldn't quite explain. Only that he never experienced it before. He timidly stepped in between Dean and Sam while Mary asked somebody to take the picture of the four of them.

Dean wrapped his arm around Cas' shoulder and smiled easily at the camera. Cas couldn't help but to smile back and genuinely this time. He's never felt so happy in his entire life. Everything with Dean and the Winchesters felt right. Like he actually had a family. Family. The thought made him feel warm inside and out.

XXX

Cas sat up in the cozy bed in Mary's guest bedroom. She made sure that he was completely comfortable before she went to bed. Sam went to Jess, his girlfriends, house promising that they would be over in the morning.

Dean offered to sleep on the couch in the living room so Cas could have the guest bedroom. After graduation, they spent a few hours having dinner and discussing childhoods along with their father, John Winchester, and how proud he would be right now of both of his boys.

Cas sighed and switched on the bedside lamp. This seemed as good of a time as any to write in his journal. He flipped to the last section he could remember writing in but was left only with a new entry. One he didn't remember ever writing.

And it wasn't his handwriting over. He squinted at the foreign text and felt as his throat tightened up while he read and reread the words over and over again.

'The best love is unexpected. You don't pick someone and hope that it will all work out. You meet them by fate and its an instant connection and the chemistry you share is way above your head. All you have to do is talk to them and you'll notice the way their lips curve when they smile or the exact color of their eyes. And all at once, you know you are either lucky or screwed. – Mary Winchester

So, tell me. Which one am I?'

Cas shut his journal quickly and threw it back onto his duffel bag. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to run it through his head of when Dean could ever write that.

The bed and breakfast. Their bags became mixed up. But that was only the first day he knew Dean. How could he already be so sure of himself? As much as he didn't want to, he thought of the exact color of Deans eyes and the way his lips spread up beautifully when he smiled.

He sighed and threw the blankets off of him. There was no fighting this anymore. Was there? He walked into the living room where Dean slept. He bit his lip and carefully shook Deans good shoulder.

His eyes fluttered open as he took in what was going on. "Cas?," he asked in his sleepy haze.

Cas smiled. "Yeah, its me, Dean," he whispered while Dean sat up.

Dean wiped his eyes slowly. "What's going on?," he asked.

"I don't know which one you are but I owe it to myself and to you to find out. Can you sleep with me tonight?"

Deans lips fought as a smile as he nodded. "Yeah. I think I can do that."


	12. The other side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little chapter before we start getting into the last parts of this story.

~2 days until the wedding~

Cas woke up to the smell of pancakes, bacon and fresh coffee. His eyes fluttered open as he tried to take in his new surroundings. There was a body pressed up against him. A body? He turned his head and saw a head of brown hair tucked safely under his arm,

He looked down to see Deans arm draped across his stomach with their legs entangled with each others. He thought quickly about what happened the night before. Did they kiss? Did he end up sleeping with Dean? In his moms house?

He couldn't recall anything like that happening. Cas slowly removed Deans arm and untangled their legs apart. He sat up in bed and ran a hand through his unmanageable hair. He felt a hand lay flatly along his back.

Cas turned around to meet sleepy green eyes and a dazed smile. "Good morning, sunshine," Dean whispered and sat up next to him on the edge of the bed.

Cas smiled weakly. "Um, good morning. We didn't-?," he asked cautiously and pointed back at the messy bed.

Dean smirked. "No because you didn't buy me dinner first," he replied sarcastically.

Cas nodded and ran a hand down his face. He knew that he said he'd give Dean a chance but this was supposed to be easy. If its Fate or Destiny or whatever, then that means that its supposed to be easy. Right?

Dean stood up and began gathering his clothes to take a shower. He stopped at the door and turned back around to give Cas another glance. He had that look in his eyes again. The one that screamed admiration and love. Dean shook his head while a small smile played at his lips before he opened the door to leave.

Cas was left alone in the room. He rested his knees on his legs and contemplated how he should play out his day. He knew that he made a promise to Dean to try but he also wanted to put this Balthazar issue to rest.

The night before came back to him piece by piece. The graduation, Deans family, the journal and, of course, sleeping with Dean but only sleeping. It had been nice. It had been so long since he had someone to wake up to. He just didn't want get his hopes up and have it all come crashing down around him.

A tiny knock on the door pulled him back to reality. He looked down at his red plaid pajama bottoms and grimaced but answered who was knocking with a weak, "yes?".

Mary opened the door and smiled at Cas. She had already changed into a fitting sundress with matching orange wedges. She tucked a stray blonde curl behind her ear. "We made breakfast, Castiel. And Sam is here. He said he'd love to talk to you," she said sweetly.

Cas smiled back at her and nodded. "I'd like to chat with him as well. I just need to change first," he replied as he motioned to his pajamas.

Mary giggled softly and nodded back. "Of course. We'll just be in the dining room," she said pointing a thumb behind her shoulder then closed the door.

Deans family was strangely perfect. It was evident how much Mary loved her boys and how much they loved her as well. Cas no longer felt jealous of their relationships. He was satisfied enough in sometimes being included.

He stood up and collected a plain light blue t shirt along with a pair of dark jeans. He slipped them on quickly and noticed how tight the sleeves were starting to get around his defined biceps. Maybe he should put on a light zip up jacket. A loud muffled sound of laughter flowed into the room and made him decide against the jacket.

He fixed his hair quickly while looking at the mirror hanging up on the wall. When all the stray hairs on the top of his head stopped sticking up like Alfalfa, he decided he was happy enough with it. He headed into the dining room and was met with an unfamiliar blonde throwing her arms around his shoulders.

He tapped her back lightly and furrowed his brow at Sam and Mary who were laughing hysterically. The new woman released him smiled up at with a sweet face. He knew he liked her immediately.

"Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry for tackling you like that. I'm Jessica," she apologized and stepped back but held her hand out for him to shake.

Cas mimicked his smile and shook her hand. "Hey, Jess. I'm guessing you probably already know who I am," he replied with a dry chuckle.

She bit her lip guiltily. "I do! But you are a lot more handsome than Sam let on!," she said enthusiastically. If he could describe her personality in any word, it would most definitely be bubbly. She quickly pulled him into another hug and squeezed lightly.

"Okay, Jess. We don't want to scare him off so soon," Mary said while touching her shoulder.

Jess looked back at her and nodded with pursed lips. Sam laughed and draped an arm around his girlfriend. Mary pulled out a chair for Cas and patted it for him to sit down.

Cas did as he was told and smiled at the strangers around him. But just like Dean made him feel, they felt familiar for some odd reason. As if he had known them his whole life and this was just like any other breakfast. And that was a feeling he really enjoyed.

"Is Dean still in the shower?," he asked awkwardly while looking around for him.

Sam nodded as Mary sat down a plate of pancakes, bacon and sausage in front of him. He licked his lips hungrily and dipped into his food. The conversation turned into mindless chatter mostly about Sam's plans to apply for law school and Jess's plan to intern for the local hospital.

"So, Cas. What brought you to California? Dean told us that you're on your way to L.A," Mary said while sipping out of her coffee mug.

Cas wanted to tell them the truth. He really did. But even he knew how insane he would sound. And it wasn't just about strangers judging him. It was more about Dean now. Yes, he originally came for Balthazar but he fell in love along the way.

Mary raised and eyebrow at him and he opened his mouth to reply but was halted by a strong hand on his shoulder. "He's here to see some old friends," Dean answered for him and saving him the embarrassment of either outing himself or lying.

"Oh, that's so nice. Is that what you guys are doing today?," Mary asked them as Dean pulled out a chair for himself.

Dean nodded and bit into a piece of bacon. "Yeah and its about four hours away so we should probably get going soon," Dean replied.

Cas drew his eyebrows together. "We should?," he asked.

Dean smiled a knowing smile. "Yes, we should," he replied easily.

Cas briefly wondered just what exactly Dean was up to but he wasn't about to argue with him. He stood up from the table when Dean did and bid his farewells to the Winchester family.

XXX

An hour later, Cas was following the signs to L.A. He still really needed to stop by his phone carriers store and get a replacement phone but that didn't seem too important to him right now. Dean still hadn't told them where they were really going so he just guessed. In fact, Dean hadn't said much of anything since they left his mothers home.

Cas tapped the steering wheel impatiently before looking at Dean out of the side of his eye. He had his seat leaned back slightly while he looked out of his window.

Cas cleared his throat awkwardly causing Dean to shift in his seat. "Um, Dean?," he said finally. Dean answered him with a quiet hum.

"Where are we going?," he asked bravely.

"To L.A. That's what you came here for, right?," Dean asked louder than what he had been. Cas nodded slowly in agreement. He did come for that but he never meant to fall in love with a total stranger. That was never part of the plan. Part of him wished that he wouldn't have ran out of the chapel the other night. Would Dean of regretted it if they both actually went through with it?

"Yes but," Cas started and averted his eyes back to the road. His words drifted off. He wanted nothing more than to tell Dean how he felt about him. But like Deans told him before, there's a time and place for these things.

"But what, Cas?," Dean questioned him. He could feel Deans eyes burning into him and making him feel bare. He can't deny how being with Dean made him feel so raw and complete but there's no such thing as fate and love has never been this easy for him.

Cas shrugged lightly. "Never mind," he mumbled.

"Look, last night was awesome. Do you know how long I waited for you to read that? I mean, a lot of crazy shit has happened in between since when I wrote that but I believe it still stands. But I can't in good conscience sleep with you or do anything else until you do what you came here to do," Dean explained.

Cas admired how open he was. He always wished that he could be half of what Dean is. He's not afraid to tell anyone what he thinks but Cas doesn't envy him anymore for it. Just admires.

"Okay. I get it. I do. But what do you want me to do exactly? I can't just stalk him and ask him if he still has feelings for me," Cas said with worry clear in his voice.

Dean sighed sadly. "Yes, you can. You've done crazier things," he replied simply with a shrug of his shoulders.

Cas nodded with a small smile. He agreed that he's done crazier things. Like falling for Dean Winchester.

XXX

Cas picked up the newspaper that Dean had tossed onto the motel bed. They had only been in L.A for an hour now but the sun was already beginning to set outside. He picked it up and eyed it. "What is this?," he asked dumbly.

Dean waves at the newspaper in his hands. "Just read it," he replied, offering no answers.

Cas looked back down and read silently to himself. The title of the article said, 'Balthazar Roche and Michael Milton to have wedding rehearsal dinner at Gloom berry Inn.' The article was dated for today.

He shrugged and tossed the paper back down. "So?," he asked a bit annoyed.

"So, since its two days before the wedding, then the rehearsal is probably for tonight," Dean replied. He was waiting for Cas to catch on to what he was saying.

Cas raised his eyebrows. "You think so?," he asked. He wasn't sure if he wanted to do this anymore but if it gave Dean peace of mind then he'd do whatever he asked of him.

Dean nodded and tossed Cas his car keys. "I never thought I'd say this but let's go find your ex."


	13. The way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are getting so close to the end! And i just bought a new laptop so expect more frequent updates

Cas wrapped his fathers trench coat tightly around himself and walked down the sidewalk with Dean. They were on their way to where the rehearsal dinner was being held. Dean tugged on the old coats collar and raised an eyebrow.

"What's all this?," he asked with a sweeping hand motion up and down the trench coat.

"It was my fathers. I like to wear it when I'm stressed. It comforts me," Cas explained with a shrug.

Dean chewed the inside of his cheek and nodded. "Well, you shouldn't be stressed. It's going to go fine and you can put this whole thing to rest. Although, I'm getting 'The bachelor' vibes right about now," Dean replied with a small smirk.

Cas laughed and threw his head back. "Then you would be pleased to find out that there are no roses," he said with a smile that matched Deans.

They walked in silence for a few more blocks and shared glances occasionally. Cas felt so at ease when he was with Dean. It was as if nothing else mattered when they were together. He couldn't even remember the way Balthazar used to make him feel. They had a routine which he enjoyed but there was no spark. It was just something he was accustomed to and he wasn't ready to let it all go. Not until he met Dean.

Deans eyes widened slightly at something across the street. Cas furrowed his brow in confusion and turned to look in the direction Dean was facing but was stopped by hand on his pulling him. Dean held him gently by the wrist before letting go and sighing.

Cas' eyes darted around to see what made Dean stop so suddenly. He looked up at Dean who seemed to be thinking something over in his head. "Cas, can you answer me honestly?," Dean asked while staring down at him with earnest eyes.

Cas nodded slowly. His mind races on what Dean was about to ask him. And what he had to answer. "Wha- What is it, Dean?," he questioned with a tilt of his head.

"Technically speaking, if this were 'The bachelor', who would you give your rose to?," he asked him sincerely with a look of worry.

Cas chuckled softly. Was this some kind of joke to distract him? Or was this just him talking out of his ass? He looked back into Deans eyes and was caught off guard by the emotion that Dean was letting him see. "Oh. You're- You're serious," Cas stuttered, at a loss for words.

Dean pursed his lips and nodded once in a silent beg to get Cas to answer him. "Dean," he started. This wasn't some rom com they were living in. Dean had been sure to remind him of that more than once. But Dean was looking at him for answers that had no affect on how he feels.

He opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by movement across the street and loud applause. He gave a curious glance above Deans shoulder and moved next to him so he could see what was going on. Deans shoulders slumped and his face screamed defeat.

Cas' breath caught in his throat. Balthazar. That was definitely Balthazar across the street smoking a cigarette. Cas looked above his ex's head and read the sign displaying the 'Gloom berry Inn.'

"Its him," he whispered to himself and took a step forward.

Balthazar held his cell phone in his free hand and type quickly with his thumb. Cas could see the way his whole body shook when he laughed at whatever virtual conversation he was having.

Cas half expected him to look different. To have a glow about him that he had been playing and replaying in his head for this entire past week. But there was nothing. No electricity that shot through him. No butterflies or goosebumps. He just looked like any other guy on the street but he still owed it to Dean to go talk to him.

He sucked up his pride and began to cross the street when Balthazar got up and walked back inside after putting out his cigarette. Cas continued to walk to where Balthazar just was and stopped. He could hear the sound of Dean coming up behind him but he ignored it.

A large window that showed off the dining room of the inn rested lowly on the wall directly by the entrance. Inside, he could see Balthazar with who he assumed was his fiancé, Michael. A long table draped in a silk white table cloth and fancy cutlery sat perpendicular to the window.

Cas wrapped his trench coat around him tighter and squinted to get a better picture of what was going on. Balthazar had his arm around Michaels waist while Michael's arm sat across Balthazar's shoulders. Balthazar raised up his glass of wine and said something to his guests resulting in them raising their glasses as well.

Michael took over the conversation and talked while looking down into Balthazar's eyes. Balthazar, in turn, grinned up at him. When Michael was finished talking, they stared into each others eyes before sharing a kiss. The group of people seated at the table broke out into a light applause.

He was in love. Balthazar was in love. And not with him. At least, not anymore. Cas bit his lip and turned away from the intimate scene playing out before him. He needed to get out of here.

Dean touched his shoulder lightly and said softly, "I'm sorry, Cas. I know you were hoping that what they had wasn't real."

Cas shook his head and looked off into the distance. He focused on a couple sitting on a fountain and sharing ice cream with each other. A smile tugged at his lips. That's what he wanted. He wanted his person he could share ice cream with and do crazy things with. He never truly wanted Balthazar. This entire thing had always been something to distract him from his real life back in Illinois.

"I need to go home, Dean," Cas sais still looking off into the distance.

"Really? You're leaving now because some dick moved on with his life?," Dean asked, starting to become agitated now.

Cas flinched at his words. He knew what he wanted to say to Dean. He wanted so desperately to tell him that he feels it, too. The words were right on his tongue but couldn't seem to come out. "I know it doesn't make sense to you, Dean, but its for the best," he said instead.

"Well you can't leave me. You can try but it won't work," Dean replied defiantly.

Cas turned to look at Dean who now had his chest puffed out and a firm look on his face. "What do you mean?," he questioned him with a tilt of his head.

Dean took a step closer and grabbed Cas' forearm gently while looking deeply into his eyes in a way that could rival Balthazar and Michael. "Because just like the Grand Canyon, you will always come back to me."

"That was just an accident," Cas breathed out as Dean took another step, invading his personal space.

Dean shook his head slowly. "That was no accident. You know what it was," he said with lidded eyes.

"Don't say it, Dean," Cas half pleaded but they both knew he wanted this just as much as Dean did.

"Fate," he whispered while moving his hand up to cup Cas' cheek.

And that was all it took for Cas to crash his lips desperately into Deans. He threw his arms around Deans neck and brought their bodies close together. Dean moaned into his mouth and licked his lips for permission to enter. Cas granted him and invaded his mouth with his own tongue.

He couldn't deny that he never thought about this happening. It was always a thought in the back of his mind. Only a wild fantasy. An 'Maybe in another life' type of thing. But now, it was finally happening and it felt fucking amazing.

Cliché to say, but it felt exactly like a round of fireworks were currently exploding inside of him. It was electric and never wanted it to end now that he knew what it was like to kiss Dean Winchester.

Dean bit his lip and pulled it back before going back into Cas' mouth while clutching onto the lapels of his trench coat. Cas couldn't ever recall sharing a kiss like this with Balthazar but then again, Dean is not Balthazar.

Cas pulled back breathlessly and in that moment he knew deep in his heart that he was madly in love with Dean fucking Winchester. Deans lips were kiss swollen and beautiful. His eyes were fully blown now and the look he was giving Cas sent shivers down the other mans spine.

"I..I think I love you," Cas admitted, still out of breath from their heated kiss.

"You think?," Dean asked with a sarcastic lop sided smile.

Cas nodded once, firmly. "Y-yes," he stuttered. Did Dean change his mind on how he felt? Maybe the kiss wasn't as good for him as it was to Cas.

Dean continued smiling as he said, "Well, I know that I love you, you idiot."

Cas smiled back as a shot of electricity went down his spine quickly causing him to shiver with happiness. Cas turned his head back to where the couple previously was but they were gone now. He looked back at Dean who was eyeing him curiously now.

"Is this crazy?," he asked with a slight frown.

Dean shook his head quickly. "No. Well, maybe," he replied while Cas' shoulders slumped at his response. He tilted Cas' chin up with his index finger causing him to look back into his eyes. "But some of the best things are because without you doing the craziest thing of your life, I never would've met you."

Cas bit his lip and shrugged, still not sure of himself. "Don't think about things. But I do need to ask if you're doing this because you want to and not because of what you witnessed back there," Dean said softly.

Cas knew how vulnerable Dean was making himself and he also knew that it was something that Dean didn't do often but he always did when it came to him. He hadn't been anywhere near the level of vulnerability that Dean was experiencing but maybe now it was his turn.

He grinned wildly causing a look of concern to flash over Deans face. Cas took off running down the street and to the empty fountain that was still abandoned. He could hear Dean running behind him to see exactly what he was up to. He ignored his cries to stop being idiotic and jumped on top of the fountain.

"Hey, L.A!," he called out with his hands cupped around his mouth to louden up his words.

The groups of people that were walking on both sides of the sidewalks stopped and turned to him, also curious on what this crazy guy in a trench coat was going to say. He looked down at Dean who had wide eyes while looking around at all the people stopped on the street.

Cas smiled once he was satisfied with his random audience. "I have an announcement. I fucking love Dean Winchester! Him! Right here in the leather jacket," he yelled pointing at Dean who blushed furiously while avoiding eye contact at the people smiling at him.

"Yeah, okay. That's enough. Get your crazy ass down now," he said while holding out a hand for Cas to take.

A round of applause was shared throughout the group of people and a few wolf whistles. Cas waved at them and jumped back down from the fountain. He took Deans hand and smiled. "Of course I would give you my last rose," he said with a cheesy smile.

Dean chuckled as the color returned slowly back to his face. "You are such a dick," he grumbled and acted like he was trying to push Cas off of him.

Cas held onto him tighter and leaned in closer to his face. "Do you want to get out of here?"


	14. Let me love you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only 4 more chapters to go! I am so sad that this story is finally coming to an end. What do you think so far?

"Are you sure you want to do this?," Dean asked between kisses as they walked deeper into the motel room.

Cas shrugged off his trench coat and tossed it off to the side. "Don't think so hard about this. Let's just have each other," Cas said softly while sliding his hands up Deans shirt.

Dean nodded and slid Cas' shirt off of his head. His eyes swept greedily over his exposed chest and abdomen. He pulled him into another kiss while kicking his shoes off. "You're so beautiful," he whispered when he pulled away slightly.

Cas smiled and helped Dean take his shirt off over his arms sling. Dean grimaced slightly but managed to get it off. Cas looked at him with concern. "Are you sure you're okay? We don't have to do this," he said quietly while searching Deans face for any signs of pain.

Dean shook his head quickly. "No, I want to do this. I wanted you since the moment I first saw you and not even a shattered elbow can stop me," he replied back.

Cas laughed and took his own shoes off. He placed his hand on the small of Deans back and pulled him in flush against his body. It felt so damn good to be able to have Dean. He wanted to explore every inch of his body and take his time with him.

He pulled apart and undid Deans belt quickly before tossing it somewhere into the room. Cas ran his hands down from Deans collarbone to where his hips formed a little V shape. He dropped to his knees and popped open the button of his jeans while looking up for permission from Dean.

Dean stared at him through lust filled eyes and licked his lips slowly. Cas took this as a yes and continued on with what he was doing. He tugged on Deans jeans and let them pool at his ankles. He ran his hands up Deans muscled legs until he reached his thighs. Deans arousal was obvious through his boxer briefs which was accompanied by a small wet spot in the center.

Cas let out a harp breath before he mouthed Deans hard cock through his underwear. Dean groaned from above him and placed his hand in Cas' dark hair. Cas dipped his fingers into the waistband of his briefs and dropped them slowly, freeing Deans erection.

He wanted to moan at the sight. He was bigger than he expected but he was absolutely fucking gorgeous. Cas grabbed his shaft gently and pumped him a few times before he wrapped his plump lips over Deans head.

He sucked the precum off while swiveling his tongue around. "Fuck, Cas," Dean moaned and tightened his grip on his hair.

Cas took this as a sign to take him even deeper. He removed his hand from Dean and took him as far as he possibly could. Dean groaned and bucked his hips into Cas' mouth.

Cas wrapped his hand back around Dean and got to work on bobbing his head back and forth quickly. He tightened his lips up around the head and loosened them around his shaft. Dean was praising him and letting him do whatever he wanted to him.

Cas took him in deeper again causing Deans knees to start shaking slightly. "Cas, you-you gotta stop. I don't wanna cum just yet," he said in a completely wrecked voice.

He slid his mouth off of Deans now slick dick and looked up at him with innocent eyes. Dean pulled him up with one arm and tossed him gently onto the king sized bed a few feet away.

Dean popped open his jeans easily with one finger and pulled them all the way off. He tossed them behind him and did the same to Cas' boxers. Dean lustfully took in Cas lying on the bed completely naked and wanting.

Cas watched as Dean held up his finger and ran to the other side of the room where he dug in his own duffle bag. He came back a moment later with a condom and a small bottle of lube.

Cas broke out into a smile and threw his head back with laughter. "Oh, so you just knew you were going to get lucky?," he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Dean shrugged shyly and smiled down at Cas. "No but a guy can always hope," he replied before climbing up on top of Cas.

He dropped the supplies onto the bed beside them and placed his arm on Cas' shoulder while leaning in to share another kiss. He pulled back slightly and whispered, "I want you to make love to me now."

Another smile tugged at Cas' lips while he nodded quickly. He wrapped his arms around Deans waist and flipped him onto his back on the bed. Dean giggled and gazed up at Cas who was in charge now.

He grabbed the bottle of lube and squirted onto his fingers before bringing them down to meet Deans hole. He searched Deans face again to make sure that he really wanted this like he did. Dean looked impatient and needy. "Just do it," he whispered.

Cas gently circled his tight hole with his lubed finger before slowly invading him. Dean moaned loudly at the contact and arched his back. Cas pumped his finger through him a few times before adding another finger.

He did the same with the new finger but sunk deeper into him until he found the bundle of nerves in Dean. "Oh, God," Dean cried out and clenched around Cas' fingers. Cas smiled darkly as Dean said, "Come on, Cas. I need you now."

Cas nodded and pulled his fingers out of him then slipped on the condom quickly. He lined himself with Deans ready entrance before slowly pushing inside of him.

Dean moaned as inch by inch Cas filled him up until he was bottomed out. He looked down at Dean to see if he was uncomfortable and waited until Dean wrapped his around Cas' waist. "I love you," Dean whispered.

Another smile flickered across Cas' mouth as he leaned over and kissed Dean softly on his lips. He slowly began to move inside of Dean and groaned at the surging of heat and tightness that surrounded him. He picked up his pace while looking deeply into Deans eyes.

He could feel the heat begin to pool in his belly. He was getting close. His eyes fluttered closed as he took ahold of Deans cock and pumped him rhythmically with him.

"Cas," Dean said softly as he came. Cas opened his eyes and watched as hot spurts of cum coated Deans stomach. He followed up with him and tightened up when he came deeply. He stayed still inside until his post orgasmic haze was gone.

He gazed at Dean who looked beautifully blissed out. He dropped his forehead to rest on Deans as he pulled out slowly. Dean groaned lowly and closed his eyes. Cas kissed him again but with less heat. It was a slow sensual kiss that he never wanted to stop.

Eventually, he pulled away from him and headed to the bathroom to get a towel to clean them up. He came back a moment later and wiped Dean down with a warm wet rag.

Dean hummed tiredly but let Cas continue. Cas tossed the used condom into the trash bin and slipped on his discarded boxers before going over to Deans duffle bag and finding a pair of sweats to put on him.

"Dean," he said softly while hovering over him on the bed.

Dean didn't answer but shifted slightly. Cas chuckled and slipped his sweat pants onto him anyways. He crawled over him and onto the other side of the bed where he pulled him into his chest.

Dean draped his arm over Cas' chest and mumbled something incoherent. Cas smiled and ran a hand through Deans hair. He still couldn't believe that just a week ago, he was stuck at some dead end job and not moving forward with his life.

Now, he was lying in bed, post-sex, with the most amazing man he has ever come to know. He had to admit that he wasn't ever the biggest believer in fate or destiny but Dean was starting to change his mind on that. Actually, he was starting to change his mind on a lot of things.

He doesn't think like he used to. He lets go more and leaves it to chance. It was dangerous but he couldn't find it within himself to reason because ever since he met Dean, everything changed. It's like suddenly everything in his life clicked together.

He smiled lovingly down at the sleeping man and kissed his forehead. He wasn't tired just yet and decided to switch on the T.V to help him fall asleep faster.

He turned the station to the local news and chuckled to himself when they did a segment of puppies up for adoption. Maybe he and Dean could adopt one tomorrow. He gazed back down at Dean with the same stupid grin on his face until he was pulled out of his happy bubble by the words of the news anchor.

"Balthazar Roche and billionaire heir, Michael Milton, have called off their wedding after a fight at the rehearsal dinner. We'll have more for you tomorrow morning at six a.m.," the woman said with a fake smile. A picture of Balthazar and Michael appeared in the corner of the screen. Cas sat up more in the bed and gently removed Deans arm from his waist. He crawled closer to the television and stared intently at the photo of Balthazar.

Cas bit his lip and looked back at Dean who was still sleeping peacefully. He slowly got out of bed and pulled on his discarded jeans and a fresh t shirt. If anything was going to make him feel completely at peace, it was Balthazar. He needed some answers before he could fully move on with his life and with Dean.

He tossed his duffle bag over his shoulder, just in case, and grabbed his keys off the motels nightstand. He opened the door and took another look back at Dean before he slipped out and into the night.

XXX

Cas drove up and down the streets of L.A., desperately hoping that he could catch a glimpse of the once familiar blonde. He turned onto the street where he had just confessed his love for Dean only a few hours before.

The streets were dead except for a few bars and night clubs that were still open. He parked in front of the Inn that Balthazar's dinner was at and got out. Maybe he was staying here.

He went inside and tapped the bell for service. A bored looking woman came out and tossed her brown hair over her shoulder. "Yes?," she asked impatiently.

"Um, is Balthazar Roche staying here?," he asked nervously.

The woman looked down at her perfectly manicured nails. "We don't give out that kind of information, sir."

Cas rolled his eyes and pulled out a hundred dollar bill and sat it down on the counter before pushing it into her direction. Her eyes lit up as she glanced around the empty room to see if anyone was looking at what was going on.

She snatched the bill and pocketed it then typed something on the computer in front of her. "He's in room 205," she answered sweetly now.

Cas nodded and headed for the elevator. His nerves were racing through him and causing him to shake. He stepped closer to the door labeled '205' and raised his shaky hand up to knock.

He tapped lightly on the door and was surprised when the door swung open quickly from an exhausted looking Balthazar. "I told you already. No comment!," he said with irate.

Cas dropped his hand and crossed his arms. "Um, Balthazar. It's me," he replied in a small voice.

Balthazar looked him over and widened his eyes. "Castiel."


	15. History

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in a day? Whaaaaat? I'm on a roll.

He shouldn't be here. He should be back in bed with Dean. Not asking his ex boyfriend, who just called off his wedding, what he did wrong in their relationship.

Balthazar opened his door wider and gestured for Cas to come in. Cas swallowed nervously as his eyes darted to the floor. "I really shouldn't," he muttered quietly.

"Castiel. It's been so long and I'm positive that you're not here to congratulate or condole me. So lets chat," he said in that accent that Cas used to find endearing but now it just sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

Cas nodded and walked past Balthazar into the hotel room. He looked around at the decent sized room that came with a king sized bed, kitchen and dining room table and chairs.

Balthazar sat down at the table and motioned for him to have a seat across from him. Cas pursed his lips and pulled out the chair before he sat down.

They sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes while he tabbed his fingers on the hard wood nervously. What the hell was he thinking? Seeing your ex is never a good idea.

He imagined this going so much differently. He always thought there would be fireworks and they'd have the reunion that would replay over and over in his mind. Reality was a lot harsher.

"Why are you here, Castiel?," Balthazar finally asked.

He hated how he called him by his full name. He already missed Deans way of shortening it and how it sounded different each time he said it.

Cas let out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. "Why- Why did you leave me?," he asked nervously.

Balthazar pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "We weren't going anywhere, Castiel," he said softly but offered no further explanation.

"What does that mean? I was always there for you! I loved you even when you didn't deserve it. I still loved you even when you cheated on me and I was an idiot for doing so. I just want to know why. What did I do wrong?," he questioned, desperate for some real answers after all this time.

Balthazar shrugged slightly but didn't even bother to look guilty or hurt. He was completely unfazed. "You know that I loved you but we weren't good for each other. I was gasoline and you were fire. Nothing good came of our relationship," he explained.

Cas ran a hand through his hair and scoffed. "You know what? All this time, I thought that I was still in love with you. Hell, up until a few days ago, I believed that maybe you felt the same way but now I know that all you did was treat me like shit and I called it love," he said bitterly.

Balthazar frowned deeply and leaned back in his chair. "Is this really making you feel better?," he asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

Cas frowned back but nodded. "Yeah, it is. You really have no idea how much you hurt me. I felt like I needed to tell you how I really feel or I'd never be able to move past you. So why, Balthazar? Why would you call this love when you knew it wasn't? Do you have any clue that it left me unable to let anyone else in?," he ranted while picturing Dean and how he taught him how to love again.

Balthazar seemed to sink into himself at Cas' honest words. "I'm sorry, Castiel. I wasn't aware it was such a big deal for you. It's just- I had ambition. You didn't. You wanted to stay in fucking Illinois and answer phones. I need a lavish lifestyle. And I got it. Tell me. What do you have?"

Cas' eyes dropped down to the table. He was right. What did he have? He had no job and no direction. Deans face flashed through his mind once again. Dean. He had Dean.

Cas stood up quickly. "I have someone waiting for me," he answered simply.

Balthazar stood up as well. "What's his name?," he asked with a small smiled.

"Dean," he answered with his own smile.

Balthazar nodded and rubbed his chin. "Well, I see something good came of your trip. But remember its important to realize that you can miss something but not want it back."

"I get it now. Maybe all of this was meant to be," he replied while zoning out. Everything that's happened so far has happened for a reason. From picking up Dean at the gas station to Dean shattering his elbow to a fucking bird robbing him and ending up at the goddamn Grand Canyon. There was always a reason behind it.

Balthazar laughed dryly. "Oh, don't tell me Castiel Novak suddenly believes in fate," he scoffed.

Cas cracked a smile. He had spent so much time trying to convince Dean that he didn't believe in all of that but maybe he was just trying to convince himself. "I never used to but then I met Dean. And he was so fucking crazy but in a good way. He made me step outside of my comfort zone and do things that I would've laughed at a week ago. He saved me from doing things that even he thought were insane. He is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me," he replied as his smile grew.

Balthazar smiled back at him. "Then why are you standing here talking to me?"

Cas laughed and shrugged. "Just some things I needed to let go of before I could start fresh. I'm sorry about your wedding, by the way. You seemed happy," Cas said.

"I was. But you've moved me tonight, Castiel. I need to go apologize to Michael. I guess I have to work on myself as well. I was such an asshole," he replied, looking as if he was beginning to feel remorse.

Cas nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you kind of were but it's water under the bridge now, right?," he asked hopefully.

Balthazar nodded back and pulled him in for a quick hug. "I'm so happy you found yourself," he said softly.

Cas smiled and pulled away he reached for the door handle then opened the door. He felt a lot better and refreshed. He didn't have this horrible relationship hanging over his head anymore and now he can be with Dean in peace.

"Castiel?," Balthazar called out.

Cas turned around and waited for his ex to say something. Balthazar shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the door frame. "Do you hate me?," he asked sadly.

Cas pursed his lips. He wanted to. He wanted to hate the shit out of Balthazar for everything he put him through but he didn't have the energy to do so. Everything with him was history and it needed to stay in the past. Today, he was a new Castiel Novak.

"I don't hate you but I sure as hell don't love you anymore," he smiled and walked away out of sight.

XXX

Cas pulled up at the motel and sighed. It was nearing morning now meaning that Dean was either awake or about to be and he now had some serious explaining to do. He reached into his backseat and pulled out his duffle bag before placing it onto his passenger seat. He pulled out his journal and smiled to himself as he read and reread Deans entry that he put in there the first day he met him.

He took out a pen from the bags side pocket and decided to write another entry before he headed inside.

'I'm in love and not with Balthazar. No, that ship is long gone. I'm in love with Dean Winchester. And he's funny. I mean, really funny. I laugh differently when he's the one who makes me laugh. And he's smart. But not the kind of smart that would make you feel intimidated. It's the kind that makes you want to learn more just to keep up with them. Not to mention how gorgeous he is. He's the kind of beautiful that makes it feel like maybe you forgot how to breathe. I forget how to breathe a lot when I'm with him. Then he kisses me and it's like his kiss sent a shock right through me that reminds me to take another breath. I really fucking love him but even that is an understatement.'

He reread his words once before he tucked his journal back into his bag and got out of his car. His words were true but they still couldn't quite tell exactly how he felt for this man. He sighed and opened the door to the room.

Dean was sitting on the edge with his face in his hands. He could hear him sniffling loudly and it was enough to tear him apart. Dean looked up at the sound of the door opening.

If Cas thought the sounds Dean was making were heartbreaking, they were nothing compared to the look on his face. His eyes were swollen and his nose had a red color as if he had been crying for hours. Had he really been gone that long?

Cas felt the pain that shot through his heart. Why did he have to be so stupid? He just messed up the best thing that had ever happened to him.

"You fucking asshole," Dean spat at him as he walked quickly over to where Cas stood.

Cas looked away guiltily. "Dean, I'm sorry," he said softly but Dean wasn't having it.

"Save it, Cas! I know you were with him. You sleep with me then go running right into your ex's arms? Well, fuck you. If you came here to apologize before you run off with him then you can just go to hell," he said angrily.

"Dean, I don't," Cas tried to say until Dean raised up a hand to cut him off.

"Just go, Cas. I was wrong about you because I don't miss anyone who chooses to walk away from me because my soulmate would stay. And if you walk, then you're not a loss," he spat while he looked Cas right in the eye.

Cas had never seen him so angry before and to have him like that because he was the one that made him so mad, hurt a lot. He sighed and plopped himself onto the ground.

Dean frowned and raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you doing?," he asked with a steadier voice.

Cas crossed his arms and looked up at him. "I'm not walking away from you. Not now. Not ever," he replied firmly.

Deans face returned to its normal color slowly. "Well then I'm leaving," he said defiantly.

"How are you going to get there?," Cas asked, playing his game right along with him.

Dean shrugged. "I'll call a cab and go to LAX then I'll go home to Kansas," he said easily. His voice returned back to normal now.

Cas shrugged back. "Then I'll come with you. I know you hate planes," he replied back.

Dean furrowed his brow. "No. You'll stay here."

Cas shook his head like a child. "Not happening. Where you go, I go," he said unapologetically.

Dean groaned but sat down on the poorly carpeted floor across from Cas. "Why?," he questioned him.

"Because everything makes sense when you're around so wherever you're going, I'm going, too. I don't give a fuck if there's obstacles along the way. I'll carry you over them. You want happiness and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen because you are my happiness," Cas replied, unwavering.

Dean said nothing but cracked a small smile at Cas' words. Cas wanted to smile back but he had to make everything clear for Dean so he knew he was serious about them.

"Dean, I've had one of the craziest weeks of my fucking life. A psychic predicted my future, I saw the Grand Canyon, a stripper shoved his junk in my face, I almost got married and not to mention that I still have the fucking ashes of someone's dead father still in my backseat," he said dramatically.

Dean laughed at that and nodded. "Yeah, you probably should've cleaned that out when it happened," he responded with sarcasm.

Cas smiled, a balloon of hope filled his chest. "But the craziest thing is that I fell in love," he said softly while looking into Deans deep green eyes.

A smile pulled at Deans lips but he attempted to hide it. "You better have a good damn explanation."


	16. Fly away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go. Only 2 chapters left now. The next one will be a flash forward and the last one will be an epilogue.

"So, you just forgave him?," Dean asked as he scratched the top of his head.

Cas nodded. "Yeah. It's what I needed to do. I thought I did this whole journey because I was still in love with him but I'm not. I just needed some closure," he explained while picking at a string of loose carpet.

He had told Dean from start to finish, his conversation with Balthazar. He promised him that Balthazar means nothing to him and that it will always be him that comes first. Dean hadn't so much as forgiven him yet but he was still holding out hope for it.

"I see," Dean replied. Cas looked up at him and Deans eyes adverted to the carpet.

"I blame fate for making me think I was in love with the wrong person," Cas said with a small smile.

Dean looked up at him and smiled back. His cheeks were tinted pink and a steady blush was rising up his neck. "You know, Cas. I didn't want to fall in love. But at some point, you smiled and I thought 'Holy shit. I blew it,'' he said shyly.

Cas' smile grew. "You are such a sap," he replied, cheekily.

Dean ran a hand down his face. "Oh, shut up. And I still haven't forgiven you yet so don't think you're on my good side again just because you said some chick flick level shit," Dean responded with a hint of humor in his voice.

Cas' smile dropped. He got down on hands and knees before slowly crawling towards where Dean sat across from him. Dean uncrossed his legs and eyed Cas curiously. "What do you think you're doing?," he asked him.

"I'm making it up to you," Cas said in his best seductive tone.

Deans face heated up again as he swallowed nervously. Cas finally made his way to Dean and sat on his knees in front of him. He leaned in closer and closer while searching Deans face for permission.

Deans eyes flickered to Cas' chapped lips then back up to his eyes. He nodded once but that was enough for Cas to hold him by the back of his neck and bring his lips to his.

He melted into the kiss and traced the outside of Deans lips with his tongue. Touching him was addicting but being in his presence was on another level. He couldn't get enough of him and he knew he wanted to kiss Dean Winchester every day for the rest of his life.

Deans mouth opened slightly as Cas slid his tongue into the other mans mouth. Their tongues danced together for dominance while passionately joining together.

Cas wrapped himself tighter around Dean but it wasn't enough contact for him. He needed more. He pulled away from Dean and smiled up at him before kissing his neck gently.

He managed to make a trail of saliva all the way from his neck to his lower abdomen. Dean watched him with lust blown eyes and plump parted lips.

Cas tucked his fingers in the waist band of Deans sweat pants and freed his erection for the second time spanning a few hours. Deans breath hitched at the contact of air hitting him but Cas soon replaced the feeling with the sensation of his mouth around him.

Dean moaned lowly and wound his fingers through Cas' dark locks. Cas loved the feeling of Dean being so wrapped up in him. He took Deans head into his puckered lips and moaned at the contact of Deans heavy member inside his mouth.

He wanted to take control and bring Dean easily to orgasm but since he was making it up to him for leaving after sex, he was going to let Dean take the reigns on this one. He made his mouth pop off of Deans swollen cock and looked up at him through long lashes.

"I want you to fuck my mouth," he requested, seductively.

Dean looked taken back for a moment before he nodded quickly in agreement. He stood up and gazed back down at Cas who was now on his knees in front of his erection. "Are you sure about this, baby?," he asked gently while running a hand through Cas' hair.

Cas nodded then stuck his tongue out to lick a vein along the underside of Deans dick. Dean sucked in a breath and moved his hand to the back of Cas' head before pushing his head to take him deeper.

Cas rubbed at his own growing erection through his jeans and moaned around Deans cock. Dean threw his head back and continued to pump in and out of Cas' wet, hot mouth while Cas unzipped his jeans to free himself from the painful restraint.

He took his own dick in his hand and rubbed the precum, that had formed at his tip, quickly around his shaft. He pumped with perfect timing with Dean and could already feel his balls tighten up and the heat pool in his stomach. How was it possible that Dean could get him off so fucking fast?

He closed his eyes and let Dean continue to fuck his mouth over and over until he stiffened up and came all over the carpet. "Fuck, that's hot," Dean moaned above him and soon enough he was spilling hot juices into Cas' mouth.

Cas swallowed him down with ease and licked up any bits that he missed off of Deans tip. Dean groaned loudly and ran his finger down Cas' cheek. Cas tucked himself back into his jeans while Dean pulled his sweat pants back up.

He helped Cas back up to his feet and smiled blissfully at him. "Am I forgiven now?," Cas asked innocently.

Dean busted out into laughter while he nodded. "If that's what you give me when I'm mad at you, I'm going to start doing it more often."

Cas smiled back at him and punched his arm lightly. "Shut up," he said jokingly before pulling him into another kiss. He just couldn't get enough. "I love you," he whispered.

Dean smirked. "I love you, too, you maniac."

Cas ran a hand up and down Deans bare back. "So, what shall we do today?"

XXX

"Castiel James fucking Novak. Why in the fuck have you not called me sooner?!," Charlie screamed into the phone.

Cas laughed quietly as he held the phone up for Dean to hear. The both of them finally got around to buying replacement phones then they headed back to the motel room where they decided to spend the entire day in bed but not without calling Charlie first.

"God, it is such a long story. And there are not enough words in the English language for me to explain just how fucked up this week has been," Cas replied, already exasperated by his bestfriend.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense! Did you do it? Did you pour your feelings out for him when the guy said, 'Speak now or forever hold your peace'? Are you on your honeymoon right now?," Charlie asked quickly.

Cas had no idea how she didn't just pass out from all the air she missing out on when she spoke that fast. Or at least how she never seemed to get winded.

Dean stared at Cas as he laughed. "Uh, no. Nothing like that. Although, I totally would've done it and embarrassed the fuck out of myself if someone didn't stop me. So thanks for that idea. By the way, I'm never taking advice from you again."

"But then you wouldn't have met me," Dean commented with a smile.

Cas laughed and shrugged. "Oh my God! Who is that talking? You met someone?! I'm going to kick your ass the next time I see you for not telling me, Novak," Charlie continued to scream.

Both of Deans eyebrows raised as he mouthed 'sorry' to Cas who in turn continued to laugh. He couldn't be any more happy with life even if he tried. He had his bestfriend, Dean and Deans family. He was starting to feel like he had a purpose.

XXX

"Cas?," Dean asked shyly after they both settled down from yet another post-orgasmic haze.

"Yes, Dean?," Cas asked as he laid his head down on Deans chest.

Dean pulled nervously on the ends of Cas' hair. "Um, what are we? I know I sound like a teenage girl so don't fucking laugh."

Cas shrugged nonchalantly. "I think we should just be friends with benefits," he answered casually.

"Shut the hell up. I didn't shatter my fucking elbow and go through all that shit just to be friends with benefits," Dean argued.

Cas broke out into another fit of laughter as his shoulders heaved up and down. "Well, we are soulmates. Aren't we?," he asked while attempting to look up at him from Deans chest.

Dean nodded as soon as the question left Cas' mouth. "Yeah, we are," he confirmed. Cas could practically hear the smile that Dean for sure had on his face right now.

He shrugged lightly. "Then I guess that makes us boyfriends," he answered simply and without a doubt in his mind.

"Hmm. Isn't the guy supposed to ask the guy to be his boyfriend?," Dean responded playfully.

Cas laughed and ran his hand down Deans exposed abdomen. "Okay. So, ask me to be your boyfriend then," he played back with a smirk forming on his lips.

Dean laughed back. "I think I've done enough to try to make you mine over this past week. It's your turn now to put in a little effort."

Cas sighed dramatically but rolled off of Dean. He sat on his knees and smiled when Dean sat up to be eye to eye with him. He took Deans uninjured hand in his and kissed it gently. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right.

Dean stared at him expectantly and waited for him to continue. "Dean Winchester, I love you. And I know we didn't exactly do this relationship in the 'right' order but it was still pretty fucking epic nonetheless. I could write an entire novel over the reasons that I fell for you but you'll just have to settle on me telling you one thing for as long as we're together. I was the most cynical person you could ever meet when I first saw you but you changed that about me," he said as a love sick smile grew on his face.

Dean blinked slowly as a blush crept up his neck and eventually made it to his cheeks. He smiled softly at Cas and nodded for him to go on.

"If someone were to tell me that I would fall in love with a complete stranger when I went on this road trip, I would've called them fucking crazy. But I guess I'm the crazy one. You make me want to be a stupid romantic. And the main reason I love you is because you brought me back to life. I was like a caterpillar living in its cocoon when I first met you. But you saw a butterfly and you made sure that I broke free," he continued while staring deeply into those gorgeous green orbs that he could call home.

Cas brought a hand up to rest on Deans cheek as his thumb traced over Deans other hand. "So what I'm trying to ask is- Will you just be my boyfriend already?," he asked him with large eyes. Before he met him, he would scoff at the people that put their hearts into the hands of someone else.

He always thought you should protect yourself and never trust anyone. He was more than happy to see just how much Dean showed him wrong.

Dean said nothing but crashed his face into Cas'. Their lips met with such passion that Cas thought he'd never be able to walk away from this man. Not even if he tried.

So, yes. This whole adventure was fucking crazy. But he feels bad for the people that never go crazy.


	17. Purpose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter in the same day? This is amazing. Sadly, the next chapter will be the final one. It should be posted tomorrow!

"Hey, Dean?," Cas called out as he tightened his apron around his waist.

After the California trip, he left Illinois for good and moved in with Dean at his home in Kansas. He still can't believe its been six months already when it feels like they've only been together for two days.

Dean walked into the kitchen and removed the detective badge around his neck before setting it down onto the counter. "Yeah, babe?," he asked while kissing his boyfriend lightly on the temple.

Cas melted into his touch and smiled. "We have to be there at noon, you know," he pointed out to him.

Dean wrapped both arms around Cas' neck. He finally got the sling off a few weeks ago and Dean swore that he'd never take his arm for granted ever again.

"I know but your apron does say to kiss the cook so I have an obligation to do so," he said as a small smile formed on his perfect lips.

Cas chuckled then smiled back. "Well, if you insist," he replied cheekily.

He let Dean grab both sides of his face and pull him into another deep kiss. Not a day has gone by that they haven't shared a sensual kiss or just cuddle with each other. Everyone said they were still in the honeymoon stage but he didn't listen.

Dean dropped his hands from the side of his face and grabbed the back of his thighs quickly before picking him up and lifting him onto their kitchen counter. Cas tightened his grip around Deans neck and hummed with delight.

He wrapped his legs around Deans waist and brought their lips back together. Dean took his bottom lip into his teeth and tugged playfully. Cas groaned at sensation and invaded his mouth with his tongue.

A shrill alarm went off coming from the stove, alerting Cas that the turkey was finally done. He reluctantly pulled away from Dean and sighed while looking into his eyes.

Dean still managed to make him feel like he never has before. When he was with Balthazar, he never felt safe or cared for but with Dean he felt emotions that he had shut off a long time ago. They fit together like pieces of a puzzle and it truly was epic.

He hopped off the counter and giggled when Dean slapped his ass. He winked coyly at him before slipping on oven mitts and pulling the turkey out of the oven.

He set the turkey on the counter to cool and turned back to Dean. "Are you sure you want to come? You know you could've visited California to be with your family for the holidays," Cas said as he adjusted Deans tie.

Dean brushed him off while shaking his head. "Babe, its your big day. I wasn't about to miss it and I also wanted to help. I love it when you accomplish your goals. Not to mention that you've been planning this day for weeks."

Cas nodded and smiled. Damn, did he have the best boyfriend ever. And to think he almost fucked it up for Balthazar. Speaking of which, Balthazar and Michael did end up getting married. Dean says its all thanks to Cas and he did end up getting a thank you note from them a few weeks later.

He was relieved everything had worked out and now he was living his best life yet. Once he got to Kansas, he invested most of his money into starting a charity organization that provides for single parent homes.

Today was Thanksgiving so he was having a large dinner at the soup kitchen for anyone that didn't have a warm place to be. He already had a thousand volunteers and they expected a little over five thousand people to show up. Then, he had an interview with the local news station later on.

Dean constantly reminded him how proud of him he was but none of this would've been possible without him. He was finally living with a purpose.

"Axl," Dean called out loudly while patting his thigh.

Their golden retriever that they adopted the month before came running around the corner with his tongue hanging out. He jumped up to greet Dean and reveled in the attention. Obviously, Dean had the pleasure of naming their dog. Cas lost in their game of rock, paper, scissors.

Cas leaned over and smiled at Axl. "Hey, buddy. Is your daddy bothering you?," he asked the dog rhetorically while laughing at the way Deans face twisted as he was about to go into defense mode.

"Am not. He loves me!," he said before crossing his arms.

"Well, it was my idea to adopt him," Cas pointed out with a smug smirk.

"Dogs were never my thing but I can make an exception for this little shit," he replied teasingly.

Cas shoved his shoulder jokingly before getting pulled into the hundredth kiss that day. Yeah. He could get used to this.

XXX

"Bobby, did the Erickson family get served yet?," Cas asked one of his volunteers while scooping mashed potatoes onto someone's plate and sending them on their way.

The older man nodded and looked down at the clipboard in his hand. "Yes, they did. What else do you need help with?," he asked attentively.

Cas wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm. "I actually think we're all good here. Everyone's been served and seems to be satisfied. But thank you again for coming out on your Thanksgiving and doing this," he said while patting the man on his back.

Bobby smiled and adjusted the hat on his head. "It's been my pleasure, Castiel. It's a real good thing you're out here doing," he replied admirably.

Cas brushed him off and felt his cheeks heat up at the compliment. He didn't like when people told him that. They were all humans and it was all of their jobs to help mankind. Everyone deserves a chance to survive.

"Cas?," Dean called out to him while walking across the room. He still had his hair net and apron on from helping in the kitchen.

"Yeah?," he asked before stepping away from Bobby.

"Um, the news is here," he informed him while pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

Cas looked in the direction he was pointing in and barely noticed the camera crew setting up along with a brunette woman in a tight dress. He nodded at Dean and excused himself.

"Are you Castiel Novak?," the reporter asked when he walked up to her.

He nodded and smiled weakly. He knew he was going to be on the news but he still had nerves racing through him when he glanced at the large camera setup in front of him.

"Great! I'm Lisa Braeden," she introduced herself as she flashed her perfect white teeth.

Cas shook her hand and smiled back at her. Her smile was almost as contagious as Deans but it was her job to be so energetic.

"Lisa, we're on in ten seconds," the cameraman informed her gruffly as he shifted the lens to be in front of them.

Lisa nodded and tucked a piece of her hair behind her pierced ear. "Are you ready?," she asked enthusiastically.

Cas nodded and attempted to make his hair looked a little decent before they were live. The camera stuck up his hand and counted down from five before pointing sternly at Lisa.

"Good evening! I'm here with the founder of 'Helping Angels charities', Castiel Novak, at Lawrence's soup kitchen where they served five thousand people in six hours. Now, Castiel, what made you start this foundation?," she asked into her microphone before holding it out for Cas to speak into.

He thought he would only be able to blubber like an idiot but it was surprisingly easy to talk about his organization and how many lives its impacted so far in the month and a half its been open.

"Well, I grew up in a single parent household so I also know what its like to go without on important holidays like this one. I never had anyone doing something like this for us so I think it's important that we get these parents and children the help that they deserve," he answered with ease.

Lisa smiled at his words and nodded along. "That's really admirable. And what do you have to say to the people that say these families did it to themselves?," she questioned before shoving the microphone back into his face.

What the fuck? People said stuff like that? He wanted to go off on the woman but he knew she was only saying what her boss was feeding her through her ear piece.

"Well, Lisa, one of the things forgotten about the human spirit is that while it is, wonderful and brave, it is also, when you get right down to it, only human. You know? Like I said before, this cause is very close to my heart and even if you've made mistakes, everyone deserves a second chance," he replied somehow able to keep his voice steady.

Lisa flashed him another pearly white smile before turning back to the camera. "Wise words spoken here today, folks. Let us all get in the spirit of the holiday and remember that there are still people out there less fortunate than some of you. Castiel Novak will also be taking donations for Toys for Tots as well for Christmas."

The cameraman waved his finger then lowered it down. Lisa slouched a bit and let out a breath. "Whew. These live interviews always make me so nervous!"

Cas laughed with her and nodded. He could feel how sweaty his palms got during the few minutes that he spoke.

Lisa touched his shoulder lightly and recaptured his attention. "I'm sorry for that question back there. I totally get it. I'm a single mother myself and it definitely isn't easy raising a child alone," she said sincerely as tears began to well up in her eyes.

Cas offered her a tissue from his back pocket and patted her back gently. "Well, your child is very lucky to have a mother like you," he replied back honestly.

"You have no idea how bad I needed to hear those words today," she said with a heartfelt smile.

Cas pulled her into a quick hug before letting go. This is what he loved. He loved reaching people and making a difference in someone's life. He gave his best wishes to Lisa after convincing her to volunteer for his toy drive before making his way back to Dean who already took his apron and hair net off.

"Aw, I miss the hat already," he commented sarcastically as Dean wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Well, next time you come home I'll be waiting for you with nothing else on but a hair net," he whispered into his ear.

Cas laughed and shoved him gently while shaking his head. He felt so at ease with Dean and everything was instantly better when he was around. He kissed his cheek softly and turned in his arms to face him.

"I did it, Dean. I finally found a purpose for myself. I can't even begin to explain how good it feels to know that I'm doing something great with my life," he said as a stray tear slipped out of his eye and ran down his cheek.

Dean wiped it away with his thumb and smiled softly. "I am so fucking proud of you," he replied.

Cas brought his head down to rest on Deans chest as Dean ran a loving hand up and down his back. He smiled because he was happy. Hell, he could probably be named the happiest man on Earth right about now.

He knows now that life isn't life if you just float through it. He knows that the only point is to find things that matter, hold onto them, fight for them and to never let them go.


	18. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is. The ending to the story. Thank you to everyone who took time to read this and to the ones that followed this story from the beginning. 
> 
> You are all so amazing!

3 years later

Cas stood in front of the full body mirror and attempted to tie his bow tie correctly. The straps twisted together, making it difficult to fix. He sighed and turned around to look at Charlie who was relaxing in the oversized chair.

He coughed to get her attention. She perked her head up as her eyes lit up. "Cas! You look so great," she complimented him before standing up and straightening out her own pant suit.

He pointed an accusatory finger at his messed up bow tie like it twisted that way on purpose. Charlie chuckled but came up behind him to adjust it for him. She gazed at him through the mirror and smiled.

"Why are you looking at me like that?," he asked with a raised brow.

"I'm just really happy for you," she answered sweetly as she tugged the bow tie into place.

He turned around and smiled at his bestfriend. "Thanks for being my best man," he commented while pulling her into a tight hug.

Charlie rubbed his back soothingly. "But of course. And I expect the same thing from you!"

Cas' eyes widened. "You and Dorothy?," he questioned.

Charlie nodded then pressed her index finger to her lips when Cas started to yell about how excited he was for her. He closed his mouth but giggled along with Charlie while holding her hands.

A knock at the door broke them apart. Charlie rolled here eyes and cracked the door open so only she could see who was on the other side.

"Dean! You know it's bad luck to see the groom before the wedding!," she hissed through the crack in a disapproving voice.

Cas listened closer to try to hear what Deans reply was. "I'm pretty sure that's about brides and I'm a groom, too, so I'm not really seeing you're point," he responded to Charlie.

"Well, I'm the best man and I say you can't see him until he walks down that aisle," she said defiantly while trying to close the door on him.

"Hey, Charlie! I think the florist just called and said there was a mix up," Cas lied to his bestfriend. She had been planning their wedding for months so he knew for damn sure that she would leave if he told her that. Right now, he just wanted to see Dean. Screw traditions because this was definitely not a traditional wedding.

Charlie turned back to Cas with horrified eyes. "Oh, hell no! Over my dead body! I'll fix this for you, Cas," she assured him before practically running out of the room but not without threatening Dean to stay out and to go away.

He waited another minute to make sure that Charlie was gone before he let Dean inside the room. His eyes swept over his gorgeous soon to be husband's body. Damn. Did he know how to pull of a suit and tie.

Deans jaw dropped slightly

at the sight of Cas. "Three fucking years later and I still think you're a figment of my imagination," he said finally before licking his dry lips.

Cas chuckled and pulled at his tie to get him closer. "Would a figment do this?," he asked rhetorically as he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him with a deep need.

Dean moaned into his mouth and backed him into a corner. He pulled away for a moment and said, "Don't ever be gone for two weeks again, asshole."

Cas smiled on Deans lips. "Didn't like that tradition?"

Dean shook his head and roamed Cas' body greedily with his hands. "Hell no. I missed the shit out of you," he declared.

Cas looked him up and down once more before deciding that he needed to have him right at this very moment. He tugged him by his tie to follow him into the bathroom that the room had. He shut the door quickly and made sure to lock it before going back to making out with him.

"We only have fifteen minutes before the ceremony," he said in between kisses.

Dean nodded against his mouth. "Trust me, with the way you look right now, I'll be coming in two minutes," Dean assured him.

Cas smirked and turned Dean around quickly before bending him over the bathrooms counter. Dean moaned in delight and waited impatiently for Cas to take him.

Cas brought his hand around to the front of Deans slacks and popped the button open with ease. He managed to drop his own pants before pulling on Deans.

"Going commando at your own wedding?," he asked breathlessly while grabbing at Deans bare ass and shifting him.

"What can I say? I'm an impatient man," Dean replied as he reached into his suits pocket for something. He tossed Cas a small bottle of lube and turned his head a bit to smile cheekily at him.

"Have I ever told you how much I fucking love you?," Cas asked his almost husband while grabbing the bottle of lube from him.

"Only everyday," Dean answered him as he rocked his hips slowly.

Cas threw his head back and groaned before rubbing his hard erection along the crease of his ass. "Come on, Cas. Time limit. Remember?," Dean reminded him.

Cas sighed but popped open the top of the lube then squirted some onto this fingers before gently circling around Deans entrance. "Fuck," Dean moaned out when Cas slid his finger into him easily.

He worked him open little by little before he added another finger. Dean rocked against his fingers and cried out when Cas finally hit his sweet spot. "Hurry," he pleaded under Cas.

Cas obliged and slipped his fingers out of him and used them to slick up his leaking cock. He pressed his head against Deans open hole before pushing into him inch by glorious inch. He bottomed out and waited for Deans permission to keep going. Dean rocked his hips back and forth once more showing Cas that he was beyond fucking ready.

Cas smiled with lust filled eyes and held onto Deans hips before pumping in and out of him quickly. Dean moaned praises under him and told him to keep going or just like that. Cas tilted Deans hips up so his dick wasn't trapped between the counter anymore.

He watched as Dean wrapped his own hand around himself and began to pump rhythmically along with Cas. Cas closed his eyes and threw his head back. He could feel that blissful feeling of the heat uncurling his stomach. "Dean, I'm gonna," he warned him before cumming in such a quick haste.

He felt like he just left his body for a moment and only came back when he heard Deans own low moans. He looked down and pulled out of Dean gently before turning on the sink next to them to clean him up.

Dean kept his head on the counter but gave Cas a fucked out smile as he grabbed a rag from the cabinet. Cas squeezed the excess water out of it and gently cleaned up the mess that he and Dean created.

Dean slowly stood up and pulled his slacks back on. Cas did the same and smiled when they exchanged another kiss. A loud bang pulled them out of their haze and caused them to jump away from each other even though the door was locked.

"God dammit, Castiel! I know what you're doing in there! And now you're late for your own wedding!," Charlie's shrill voice sounded through the closed door.

Cas tucked his dress shirt back into his pants and giggled quietly with Dean. He straightened Deans tie for him and shared one last kiss before pushing him out of the door. He could hear Charlie yelling at him to get his ass outside right this second.

A second later, her angry face came into view before she pulled him out of the bathroom by his arm. She was surprisingly strong for such a small girl. She walked him to the sliding glass door that would lead Cas to the alter.

She motioned at someone on the other side then music began to play and all the guests stood up. She turned back to him and flipped his lapels back to the correct side and cracked a smile. "I am so pissed out you for not keeping it in your pants for fifteen minutes but I also can't deny that I'm not about to cry right now," she admitted.

Cas smiled back at her and gave her a quick hug before she snuck out of the door to go to her place at the end of the aisle. Cas fixed his hair as good as he could manage before walking out and stepping out onto the aisle that was covered in white pedals.

He was so glad that they agreed upon a June wedding. Everything was beautiful and fucking perfect. He caught Deans eye at the end of the aisle and smiled to himself when he saw the tear slowly slip down his cheek.

Sam stood next to him and patted him on the shoulder while whispering something into his ear. Dean nodded at whatever it was he said and cracked a wide smile before wiping away his tear.

He walked past Mary and Jess in a row with some of Deans distant family members. Then, he walked by Bobby and Ellen in the next row. They became his best charity volunteers and very close friends.

He smiled at his odd guests that Dean insisted that they invite. Including, Benny, the gas station attendant, Jo, the bartender, Garth, from the Grand Canyon and Miss Missouri Moseley. Hell, he even invited the stripper, Cole, from Las Vegas.

It was strange but Dean said they needed everyone who helped them along the way a few years back to be there. He wanted to laugh when he noticed who was officiating their wedding. It was the same exact Elvis impersonator from Vegas.

He finally got to the alter and stood in front of Dean who took his hands in his. He noticed how sweaty Deans palms were but he already knew his were exactly the same.

The Elvis guy leaned into them and whispered, "You're not going to run off this time, are you?"

Dean and Cas both chuckled along with them as Cas shook his head firmly. "No. And you'll see that I've prepared much better vows," Cas told him.

Elvis smiled then took a step back as he started the ceremony. They went through all the lines and promises before it was finally time to say their vows. Dean shifted nervously on his feet and cleared his throat nervously.

"Castiel James Novak, I vow to help you love life. You taught me that it's okay to be vulnerable and it doesn't make you weak to do so. I want to grow and change with you. I want to raise children together. I can't wait to fall in love with you more and more each day. Which is what I vow to do for the rest of my life," Dean said as his voice broke on the last word.

Cas sniffled and smiled. "How am I supposed to follow up with that?," he joked lightly causing their guests to chuckle along.

Dean smiled shyly and shrugged with a wink. Cas smiled back and rubbed his thumb along the back of Deans hand.

"Dean Winchester, you saw me like no one ever has before. You've taught me to trust, how to let someone in and what it's like to be truly in love. You are my soulmate. I never used to believe in that stuff but you did. And you were so carefree, eccentric and beautiful. And because of you, I started to see the world differently. So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you," he vowed passionately.

He hadn't noticed that he was the one who was now crying. Dean smiled and reached over, wiping away the tears that managed to cover his face.

"Do you, Dean Winchester, take Castiel to be your lawfully wedded husband until death do you part?," Elvis asked while looking down at Dean.

Dean nodded and smiled, "I do."

Elvis turned to Cas and repeated his question. Cas could feel the tears coming again as he nodded. "I do," he promised.

"By the power invested in me and the state of Kansas, you may now kiss your husband," Elvis instructed them as the crowd broke into applause and cheers.

Dean held onto the small of Cas' back and dipped him close to the floor before bringing his lips to his. A few wolf whistles were shared and laughter was heard but Cas could only focus on one thing and that was his soulmate.

What used to terrify him, now inspires him. He is exactly where he wants to be and he owes it all to Fate.


End file.
